USDA Definition of Specialty Crop

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this document is to facilitate coordination among the various US Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) agencies with programs that address the needs of specialty crop producers, handlers and processors. 

Although a common definition of specialty crops across these agencies is desirable for USDA stakeholders and 

customers, it is also recognized that the mission of each agency is unique and so the application of a common 

definition might vary. It is also recognized that individual states may wish to modify the definition used by 

USDA to satisfy local or regional needs. The agencies involved in this effort were the Agricultural Marketing 

Service (AMS), the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), 

the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE), U.S. Forest Service 

(FS), the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Risk Management Agency (RMA).

WHAT ARE SPECIALTY CROPS?

Specialty crops are defined in law as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and 

nursery crops, including floriculture.” This definition, although more exact than previous legal definitions, 

leaves a certain amount of latitude in interpretation. Fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery crops and 

floricultural crops are all considered to be horticultural crops. Regardless, the specific mention of these crop 

groups means that plants so classified automatically qualify as specialty crops. Where interpretation is 

needed is in which plants, not specifically mentioned in legislation, can be classified as horticulture (sic) 

crops. 

WHAT IS HORTICULTURE?

Horticulture is defined as that branch of agriculture concerned with growing plants that are used by people 

for food, for medicinal purposes, and for aesthetic gratification. Horticulture is divided into specializations. 

The terms used to describe these specializations derive from millennia of common usage and are sometimes 

at odds with botanical nomenclature. For example, vegetables are described as herbaceous plants of which 

some portion is eaten raw or cooked during the main part of a meal. Fruits, for horticultural purposes, are 

described as plants from which a more or less succulent fruit or closely related botanical structure is 

commonly eaten as a dessert or snack. By these definitions, plants such as tomato, squash and cucumber are 

considered vegetables despite the fact that the edible portion is defined botanically as a fruit. The delineation 

of plants by common usage was legally established in 1893 by the unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision in 

the case of Nix vs. Hedden – 149 U.S. 304.

Over the last 60 years, agriculture, including horticulture, has become increasingly reliant on science and 

technology to maintain profitable production. The scientific study of horticulture is divided into various subdisciplines. Pomology is defined as that branch of horticulture dealing with fruit and tree nut production. 

Fruit production includes the so-called tree fruits; such as apple, peach, and orange, and small fruits; such as 

strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry. Olericulture is defined as that branch of horticulture dealing with the 

production of vegetables and herbs. Floriculture is that branch of horticulture dealing with the production of 

field-grown or greenhouse-grown plants for their flowers or showy leaves. Environmental horticulture is 

that branch of horticulture that deals with the production of plants for ornamental use in constructed 

environments, both indoors and outdoors.
There are many facets to environmental horticulture. Nursery production involves growing plants under 

intensive management for use in another location. Nurseries are defined in a variety of ways: 

a) the type of plant grown, such as fruit tree, turf or Christmas tree nurseries; 

b) the function of the nursery, such as production, wholesale, retail, mail-order or landscape nurseries; 

and

c) the production system, such as field-grown or container-grown. 

Landscape horticulture involves the design, installation, and maintenance of both outdoor and indoor 

environments. Public horticulture involves the design and maintenance of arboreta, public gardens, parks,

and athletic facilities. Horticultural therapy involves the use of horticultural plants to improve the condition 

of people with physical, intellectual or emotional disabilities. Horticultural therapy also includes the use of 

plants in hospitals and other medical facilities to ease the pain and suffering of patients. Home horticulture 

involves the use of horticultural plants as a recreational activity, generally by non-professionals. Home 

horticulture is the most popular hobby in the United States with a commercial value of over $35 billion in 

2012.

WHAT ARE CROPS?

There are many definitions of the word “crop”. When referring to plants, USDA considers crops to be those 

plants that are cultivated either for sale or for subsistence. There are many plants that are specialty crops 

when cultivated, but are also collected from wild populations. Wild plants are not considered specialty crops 

even though they may be used for the same purpose as cultivated plants. This is somewhat common among 

medicinal herbs and woodland plants. There are a number of native ferns that are collected from wild 

populations for use in the floral trade. There are also a number of marine plants that are collected from wild 

populations both for direct consumption and for industrial uses. Although these are specialty uses, wild 

plants are not considered specialty crops by USDA. However, natural populations of native plants that are 

brought into cultivation, such as sugar maple trees, pecans, blueberry, huckleberry and cranberry are 

considered specialty crops by USDA. In order for a plant to be considered cultivated, some form of 

management must be applied. The intensity of the management is not critical to determining whether a plant

is cultivated or not. This definition includes plants or plant products harvested from “wild areas” whose 

populations are managed, monitored and documented to ensure long-term, sustainable production. If a 

naturally occurring population of plants is brought under management and that plant satisfies the definition 

of specialty crop presented in the second paragraph of this document, then those plants would be considered 

specialty crops. It is common for such plants to be designated “wild-harvested” for marketing purposes. Such 

a designation does not preclude a plant from being considered a specialty crop as long as the above criteria 

are met. For the purpose of some programs in which state agencies are the eligible entities, states may 

choose to define plants collected from the wild as specialty crops.

Similarly, some cultivated plants have multiple uses. Amaranth may be grown as a leafy green, or it may be 

grown as a grain. Leafy greens are vegetables, therefore amaranth grown in such a manner would be 

considered a specialty crop. However, grains are not specialty crops, therefore amaranth grown for grain 

would not be considered a specialty crop. There are many other examples of crops with multiple uses and an 

exhaustive list would not be possible here. However, the following groups of crops are not considered

specialty crops: grains (corn, wheat, rice, etc.), oil seed crops (canola, soy bean, camelina, etc), bio-energy 

crops (switchgrass, sugar cane, etc), forages (hay, alfalfa, clover, etc.), field crops (peanut, sugar beet, cotton, 

etc.), and plants federally controlled as illegal drug plants (cannabis, coca).
The following appendices give examples of plants that are considered specialty crops by USDA. These 

appendices are not intended to be all-inclusive, but rather are intended to give examples of the most common 

members of the various groups.
APPENDIX A – PLANTS COMMONLY CONSIDERED FRUITS AND TREE NUTS

Almond Grape (including Raisin)

Apple Guava

Apricot Kiwi

Aronia berry Litchi

Avocado Macadamia

Banana Mango

Blackberry Nectarine

Blueberry Olive

Breadfruit Papaya

Cacao Passion Fruit

Cashew Peach

Citrus Pear

Cherimoya Pecan

Cherry Persimmon

Chestnut (for Nuts) Pineapple

Coconut Pistachio

Coffee Plum (including Prune)

Cranberry Pomegranate

Currant Quince

Date Raspberry

Feijou Strawberry

Fig Suriname Cherry

Filbert (Hazelnut) Walnut

Gooseberry
APPENDIX B – PLANTS COMMONLY CONSIDERED VEGETABLES

Artichoke Mushroom (Cultivated)

Asparagus Mustard and Other Greens

Bean

 Snap or Green

 Lima

 Dry, Edible

Okra

Beet, Table Pea

 Garden

 English or Edible Pod

 Dry, Edible 

Broccoli (including Broccoli Raab) Onion

Brussels Sprouts Opuntia

Cabbage (including Chinese) Parsley

Carrot Parsnip

Cauliflower Pepper

Celeriac Potato

Celery Pumpkin

Chickpeas (Large and Small) Radish (All Types)

Chive Rhubarb

Collards (including Kale) Rutabaga

Cucumber Salsify

Edamame Spinach

Eggplant Squash (Summer and Winter)

Endive Sweet Corn

Garlic Sweet Potato

Horseradish Swiss Chard

Kohlrabi Taro

Leek Tomato (including Tomatillo)

Lentils Turnip

Lettuce Watermelon

Melon (All Types)
APPENDIX C: PLANTS COMMONLY CONSIDERED CULINARY HERBS AND SPICES

Ajwain Clary Malabathrum

Allspice Cloves Marjoram

Angelica Comfrey Mint (All Types)

Anise Common Rue Nutmeg

Annatto Coriander Oregano

Artemisia (All Types) Cress Orris Root

Asafetida Cumin Paprika

Basil (All Types) Curry Parsley

Bay (Cultivated) Dill Pepper

Bladder Wrack Fennel Rocket (Arugula)

Bolivian Coriander Fenugreek Rosemary

Borage Filé (Gumbo, Cultivated) Rue

Calendula Fingerroot Saffron

Chamomile French Sorrel Sage (All Types)

Candle Nut Galangal Savory (All Types)

Caper Ginger Tarragon

Caraway Hops Thyme

Cardamom Horehound Turmeric

Cassia Hyssop Vanilla

Catnip Lavender Wasabi

Chervil Lemon Balm Water Cress

Chicory Lemon Thyme

Cicely Lovage

Cilantro Mace

Cinnamon Mahlab
APPENDIX D: PLANTS COMMONLY CONSIDERED MEDICINAL HERBS

Artemissia Mullein

Arum Passion Flower

Astragalus Patchouli

Boldo Pennyroyal

Cananga Pokeweed

Comfrey St. John’s Wort

Coneflower Senna

Fenugreek Skullcap

Feverfew Sonchus

Foxglove Sorrel

Ginko Biloba Stevia

Ginseng Tansy

Goat’s Rue Urtica

Goldenseal Witch Hazel

Gypsywort Wood Betony

Horehound Wormwood

Horsetail Yarrow

Lavender Yerba Buena

Liquorice

Marshmallow
APPENDIX E: PLANTS COMMONLY CONSIDERED FLORICULTURE AND NURSERY 

CROPS

This list includes the major segments of floriculture and nursery crops. For each segment, a non-exclusive list 

of the most common plants is provided. Providing a complete list for each segment would not be practical 

given the thousands of different ornamental plant taxa that are commercially produced.

Annual Bedding Plants

Begonia Coleus Dahlia

Geranium Impatiens Marigold

Pansy Petunia Snapdragon

Vegetable Transplants

Broadleaf Evergreens

Azalea Boxwood Cotoneaster

Euonymus Holly Pieris

Rhododendron Viburnum

Christmas Trees

Balsam Fir Blue Spruce Douglas Fir

Fraser Fir Living Christmas Tree Noble Fir

Scots Pine White Pine

Cut Cultivated Greens

Asparagus Fern Coniferous Evergreens Eucalyptus

Holly Leatherleaf Fern Pittosporum

Cut Flowers

Carnation Chrysanthemum Delphinium

Gladiolus Iris Lily

Orchid Rose Snapdragon

Tulip

Deciduous Flowering Trees

Crabapple Dogwood Crepe Myrtle

Flowering Pear Flowering Cherry Flowering Plum
Hawthorn Magnolia Redbud

Service Berry

Deciduous Shade Trees

Ash Elm Honey Locust

Linden Maple Oak

Poplar Sweetgum Sycamore

Deciduous Shrubs

Barberry Buddleia Hibiscus

Hydrangea Rose Spirea

Viburnum Weigela

Foliage Plants

Anthurium Bromeliad Cacti

Dieffenbachia Dracaena Fern

Ficus Ivy Palm

Philodendron Spathipyllum

Fruit And Nut Plants

Berry Plants Citrus Trees Deciduous Fruit and Nut 

Trees

Grapevines

Landscape Conifers

Arborvitae Chamaecyparis Fir

Hemlock Juniper Pine

Spruce Yew

Potted Flowering Plants

African Violet Azalea Florist Chrysanthemum

Flowering Bulbs Hydrangea Lily

Orchid Poinsettia Rose

Potted Herbaceous Perennials
Astilbe Columbine Coreopsis

Daylily Delphinium Dianthus

Garden Chrysanthemum Heuchera Hosta

Ivy Ornamental Grasses Peony

Phlox Rudbeckia Salvia

Vinca

Propagative Materials

Bare-Root Divisions Cuttings Liners

Plug Seedlings Tissue-Cultured Plantlets Prefinished Plants
APPENDIX F: EXAMPLES OF INELIGIBLE CROPS

The following lists are not intended to be all-inclusive but to provide guidance based on previous inquiries.

Oil Seed Crops (including oil and non-oil cultivars)

Camelina Canola Cottonseed

Crambe Flaxseed Linseed

Mustard seed Peanut Rapeseed

Safflower Sesame Soybean

Sunflower seed

Field and Grain Crops

Amaranth for grain Buckwheat Barley (including malting barley)

Corn Cotton Grain sorghum

Oats Peanut Proso millet

Rye Quinoa Rice (including wild)

Sugar beet Sugarcane Tobacco

Wheat

Forage Crops

Alfalfa Clover Hay

Range grasses

Fiber Crops

Cotton Flax Hemp