# USDA PLANTS Database Scraper (`jungle_synthesizer/usda-plants-database-scraper`) Actor Extract the full USDA PLANTS database — taxonomy, growth habits, native/wetland status, document URLs, and physical characteristics for 2,000+ plant species. Public-domain government data from plants.usda.gov. - **URL**: https://apify.com/jungle\_synthesizer/usda-plants-database-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [BowTiedRaccoon](https://apify.com/jungle_synthesizer) (community) - **Categories:** Other, Developer tools - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## USDA PLANTS Database Scraper Extract the complete [USDA PLANTS Database](https://plants.usda.gov/home) — taxonomy, growth habits, native status, wetland indicators, document URLs, and physical characteristics for over 2,000 accepted US plant species. ### What it extracts | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | `symbol` | USDA PLANTS Symbol (primary key, e.g. `ACRU` for red maple) | | `scientificName` | Scientific name (HTML-stripped) | | `commonName` | Common/vernacular name | | `familyName` | Taxonomic family (e.g. Pinaceae) | | `group` | Plant group (Dicot, Monocot, Fern, Gymnosperm, etc.) | | `rank` | Taxonomic rank (Species, Genus, Variety, etc.) | | `isSynonym` | Whether this is a synonym record | | `acceptedSymbol` / `synonymSymbol` | Cross-reference to accepted or synonym name | | `durations` | Life cycle (Annual, Biennial, Perennial — comma-separated) | | `growthHabits` | Tree, Shrub, Forb, Graminoid, Vine (comma-separated) | | `nativeStatuses` | Native/introduced status by region (L48, AK, HI, CAN) as JSON | | `hasWetlandData` | Wetland indicator data available | | `hasLegalStatuses` | Federal threatened/endangered status available | | `hasNoxiousStatuses` | State noxious weed status available | | `hasInvasiveStatuses` | State invasive species status available | | `hasCharacteristics` | Detailed physical characteristic data available | | `imageCount` | Number of USDA images available | | `plantGuideUrls` | USDA Plant Guide PDF links | | `factSheetUrls` | USDA Fact Sheet PDF links | | `activeGrowthPeriod` | When the plant actively grows | | `bloomPeriod` | Bloom season | | `droughtTolerance` | Low / Medium / High | | `fireTolerance` | Low / Medium / High | | `flowerColor` | Flower color | | `foliageColor` | Foliage texture/color | | `growthRate` | Slow / Moderate / Rapid | | `heightMatureMaxFt` | Maximum mature height in feet | | `moistureUse` | Low / Medium / High | | `shadeTolerance` | Intolerant / Intermediate / Tolerant | | `sourceUrl` | Canonical USDA PLANTS URL | | `scrapedAt` | ISO-8601 scrape timestamp | ### How to use #### Default run (all plants with characteristics) Leave **Max Items** empty to collect the full database (~2,200 accepted species). Each run fetches the complete plant list and detailed profile data for every species. #### Limit to specific plants Set **Max Items** to limit the number of records, or provide a **Plant Symbol List** to target specific species: | Symbol | Common Name | |--------|-------------| | `ACRU` | Red maple | | `PIPO` | Ponderosa pine | | `PSME` | Douglas-fir | | `QURU` | Northern red oak | #### Input fields | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `maxItems` | Integer | Maximum plants to scrape. Leave empty for all (~2,200). | | `symbolList` | Array | Optional list of USDA PLANTS symbols to filter to. | ### Data source All data is sourced from the **USDA PLANTS Database** (plants.usda.gov), a public-domain government dataset maintained by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The data is freely available for any use — no account or API key required. The scraper accesses the backing REST API at `plantsservices.sc.egov.usda.gov/api/` which powers the official Angular web application. Data is returned directly as JSON without any HTML parsing. ### Use cases - **Native plant nurseries** — Build state-specific native plant catalogs with growth requirements - **Landscape architecture** — Filter plants by shade tolerance, drought tolerance, moisture use - **Conservation programs** — Cross-reference noxious/invasive status with USDA NRCS GSAT lists - **Agronomy & restoration ecology** — Access bloom periods, growth rates, and fire tolerance data - **AI/ML training data** — Botanical LLM training datasets with structured plant attributes - **Academic research** — Full taxonomy + distribution data for US flora # Actor input Schema ## `sp_intended_usage` (type: `string`): Please describe how you plan to use the data extracted by this crawler. ## `sp_improvement_suggestions` (type: `string`): Provide any feedback or suggestions for improvements. ## `sp_contact` (type: `string`): Provide your email address so we can get in touch with you. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of plants to scrape. Leave empty to scrape the full USDA PLANTS database (~2,200 accepted species with characteristics). ## `symbolList` (type: `array`): Optional list of specific USDA PLANTS symbols to scrape (e.g. ACRU, PIPO). Leave empty to scrape all plants. ## Actor input object example ```json { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "maxItems": 10, "symbolList": [] } ```` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "maxItems": 10, "symbolList": [] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("jungle_synthesizer/usda-plants-database-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "maxItems": 10, "symbolList": [], } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("jungle_synthesizer/usda-plants-database-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "maxItems": 10, "symbolList": [] }' | apify call jungle_synthesizer/usda-plants-database-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=jungle_synthesizer/usda-plants-database-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "USDA PLANTS Database Scraper", "description": "Extract the full USDA PLANTS database — taxonomy, growth habits, native/wetland status, document URLs, and physical characteristics for 2,000+ plant species. Public-domain government data from plants.usda.gov.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "rNWqHX5ezOtco7iVA" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~usda-plants-database-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-jungle_synthesizer-usda-plants-database-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~usda-plants-database-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-jungle_synthesizer-usda-plants-database-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~usda-plants-database-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-jungle_synthesizer-usda-plants-database-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "maxItems" ], "properties": { "sp_intended_usage": { "title": "What is the intended usage of this data?", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Please describe how you plan to use the data extracted by this crawler." }, "sp_improvement_suggestions": { "title": "How can we improve this crawler for you?", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Provide any feedback or suggestions for improvements." }, "sp_contact": { "title": "Contact Email", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Provide your email address so we can get in touch with you." }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max Items", "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of plants to scrape. Leave empty to scrape the full USDA PLANTS database (~2,200 accepted species with characteristics)." }, "symbolList": { "title": "Plant Symbol List", "type": "array", "description": "Optional list of specific USDA PLANTS symbols to scrape (e.g. ACRU, PIPO). Leave empty to scrape all plants.", "items": { "type": "string" } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```