USDA Plants Database Scraper

Scrape the USDA Plants Database (plants.usda.gov) to extract detailed plant species data. Access 70,000+ plant species with full taxonomy, growth characteristics, native status, distribution data, and plant guides.

What It Does

This scraper queries the official USDA Plants API to extract structured plant data. It supports searching by common names, scientific names, or USDA plant symbols.

Data extracted for each plant:

• Identification: Scientific name, common name, USDA symbol, group, rank
• Taxonomy: Kingdom, division, class, subclass, order, family, genus
• Characteristics: Growth habits (tree, shrub, forb, etc.), duration (annual, perennial, biennial)
• Distribution: Native status by region (Native/Introduced), state-level distribution
• Resources: Profile image URL, plant guide PDFs, fact sheet links
• Flags: Has characteristics, wetland data, wildlife data, ethnobotany data, pollinator data

Use Cases

• Botanical research: Build plant species databases with full taxonomic classification
• Agriculture & gardening: Find plants by growth habit, duration, and native regions
• Environmental studies: Identify native vs. introduced species by state/region
• Landscaping: Search for plants suitable for specific geographic areas
• Education: Create comprehensive plant reference materials with taxonomy trees

Input

Field	Type	Default	Description
searchQueries	string[]	["oak"]	Plant names or USDA symbols to search
maxListings	integer	100	Max plants per query (0 = unlimited)
scrapeDetails	boolean	true	Fetch full profiles with taxonomy/distribution
proxyConfiguration	object	-	Optional proxy settings

Example Input

{
    "searchQueries": ["oak", "Rosa", "fern"],
    "maxListings": 50,
    "scrapeDetails": true
}

Example Output

{
    "symbol": "QUAG",
    "scientificName": "Quercus agrifolia Nee",
    "commonName": "California live oak",
    "group": "Dicot",
    "rank": "Species",
    "kingdom": "Plants",
    "division": "Flowering plants",
    "class": "Dicotyledons",
    "order": null,
    "family": "Beech family",
    "familyScientific": "Fagaceae",
    "genus": "oak",
    "growthHabit": "Shrub, Tree",
    "duration": "Perennial",
    "nativeStatus": "Native (L48)",
    "distributionStates": "AK, HI, PR, VI",
    "hasCharacteristics": true,
    "hasDistributionData": true,
    "imageUrl": "https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/ImageLibrary/quag_017_shp.jpg",
    "plantGuideUrls": ["https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_quag.pdf"],
    "url": "https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=QUAG",
    "searchQuery": "oak",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-04-25T00:00:00.000Z"
}

How It Works

1. Searches the USDA Plants API for each query term
2. Collects matching plant symbols from search results
3. Optionally fetches full plant profiles with taxonomy, distribution, and characteristics
4. Outputs structured JSON data to the Apify dataset

The scraper calls the USDA Plants API directly (no browser needed), making it fast and efficient. Profile fetches run with controlled concurrency (10 parallel requests with rate limiting).

Performance

• Search only (scrapeDetails: false): Very fast, hundreds of results per second
• Full profiles (scrapeDetails: true): ~50-100 profiles per second with concurrency
• A query like "oak" returns 370+ species; "Rosa" returns 640+ species

Cost

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing at $0.005 per result. A typical run scraping 100 plant profiles costs approximately $0.50.

Tips

• Use USDA plant symbols (e.g., "QUAG" for California live oak) for exact lookups
• Common name searches (e.g., "oak", "maple", "fern") return broad results across genera
• Scientific name searches work too (e.g., "Quercus", "Rosa", "Pteridium")
• Set scrapeDetails: false for quick symbol/name lookups without full taxonomy
• The USDA database includes trees, shrubs, forbs, grasses, vines, lichens, and more

---

Run on Apify

This scraper runs on the Apify platform — a full-stack web scraping and automation cloud. Sign up for a free account to get started with 30-day trial of all features.

Try Apify free

Related Scrapers

More data tools by lulzasaur:

• AbeBooks Scraper — Rare and used books
• Bonanza Scraper — Online marketplace listings
• Contractor License Verifier — Multi-state license verification
• Goodreads Scraper — Book ratings and reviews
• Grailed Scraper — Luxury fashion resale
• Houzz Scraper — Home improvement professionals
• IMDb Scraper — Movie and TV show data
• Nurse License Verifier — State nursing board verification
• OfferUp Scraper — Local marketplace listings
• Poshmark Scraper — Fashion resale marketplace
• PSA Population Report — Card grading data
• Redfin Scraper — Real estate listings and prices
• Reverb Scraper — Music gear marketplace
• StubHub Scraper — Event ticket prices
• Swappa Scraper — Used electronics marketplace
• TCGPlayer Scraper — Trading card prices
• ThriftBooks Scraper — Used book prices
• Thumbtack Scraper — Local service professionals