Specialty Crops
The Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act of 2004 and the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 have defined specialty crops as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).” Eligible plants must be intensively cultivated and used by people for food, medicinal purposes, and/or aesthetic gratification to be considered specialty crops. Processed products shall constitute greater than 50% of the specialty crop by weight, exclusive of added water.
A detailed definition of specialty crops was also developed for the purposes of this program and other U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.
The tables below list plants commonly considered fruits and tree nuts, vegetables, culinary herbs and spices, medicinal plants, as well as nursery, floriculture, and horticulture crops. These lists are not intended to be all inclusive, but rather to provide examples of the most common specialty crops.
Fruits & Tree Nuts
Almond
Apple
Apricot
Avocado
Banana
Blackberry
Blueberry
Breadfruit
Cacao
Cashew
Citrus
Cherimoya
Cherry
Chestnut (for nuts)
Coconut
Coffee
Cranberry
Currant
Date
Feijou
Fig
Filbert (hazelnut)
Gooseberry
Grape (including raisin)
Guava
Kiwi
Litchi
Macadamia
Mango
Nectarine
Olive
Papaya
Passion fruit
Peach
Pear
Pecan
Persimmon
Pineapple
Pistachio
Plum (including prune)
Pomegranate
Quince
Raspberry
Strawberry
Suriname cherry
Walnut
Vegetables
Artichoke
Asparagus
Bean (Snap or green, Lima, Dry, edible)
Beet, table
Broccoli (including broccoli raab)
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage (including Chinese)
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Celery
Chive
Collards (including kale)
Cucumber
Edamame
Eggplant
Endive
Garlic
Horseradish
Kohlrabi
Leek
Lettuce
Melon (all types)
Mushroom (cultivated)
Mustard and other greens
Okra
Onion
Opuntia
Parsley
Parsnip
Pea (Garden, English or edible pod)
Pepper
Potato
Pumpkin
Radish (all types)
Rhubarb
Rutabaga
Salsify
Spinach
Squash (summer and winter)
Sweet corn
Sweet potato
Swiss chard
Taro
Tomato (including tomatillo)
Turnip
Watermelon
Herbs & Spices
Ajwain
Allspice
Angelica
Anise
Annatto
Artemisia
Artemisia (all types)
Arum
Asafetida
Astragalus
Basil (all types)
Bay (cultivated)
Bladder wrack
Boldo
Bolivian coriander
Borage
Calendula
Cananga
Candle nut
Caper
Caraway
Cardamom
Cassia
Catnip
Chamomile
Chervil
Chicory
Cicely
Cilantro
Cinnamon
Clary
Cloves
Comfrey
Comfrey
Common rue
Coneflower
Coriander
Cress
Cumin
Curry
Dill
Fennel
Fenugreek
Fenugreek
Feverfew
Filé (gumbo, cultivated)
Fingerroot
Foxglove
French sorrel
Galangal
Ginger
Ginkgo biloba
Ginseng
Goat’s rue
Goldenseal
Gypsywort
Hops
Horehound
Horehound
Horsetail
Hyssop
Lavender
Lemon balm
Lemon thyme
Liquorice
Lovage
Mace
Mahlab
Malabathrum
Marjoram
Marshmallow
Mint (all types)
Mullein
Nutmeg
Oregano
Orris root
Paprika
Parsley
Passion flower
Patchouli
Pennyroyal
Pepper
Pokeweed
Rocket (arugula)
Rosemary
Rue
Saffron
Sage (all types)
Savory (all types)
Senna
Skullcap
Sonchus
Sorrel
St. John’s wort
Stevia
Tansy
Tarragon
Thyme
Turmeric
Urtica
Vanilla
Wasabi
Water cress
Witch hazel
Wood betony
Wormwood
Yarrow
Yerba buena
Nursery, Floriculture, and Horticulture Crops
Honey
Hops
Maple Syrup
Tea Leaves
Turfgrass
Annual Bedding Plants
- Begonia
- Coleus
- Dahlia
- Geranium
- Impatiens
- Marigold
- Pansy
- Petunia
- Snapdragon
- Vegetable Transplants
Potted Flowering Plants
- African Violet
- Azalea
- Flowering Bulbs
- Poinsettia
Potted Herbaceous Perennials
- Astilbe
- Columbine
- Coreopsis
- Daylily
- Dianthus
- Heuchera
- Hosta
- Ornamental Grasses
- Peony
- Phlox
- Rudbeckia
- Salvia
- Vinca
Cut Flowers
- Carnation
- Chrysanthemum
- Delphinium
- Gladiolus
- Iris
- Lily
- Orchid
- Rose
- Tulip
Cut Cultivated Greens
- Asparagus Fern
- Coniferous Evergreens
- Eucalyptus
- Leatherleaf Fern
- Pittosporum
Foliage Plants
- Anthurium
- Bromeliad
- Cacti
- Dieffenbachia
- Dracaena
- Fern
- Ficus
- Ivy
- Palm
- Philodendron
- Spathipyllum
- Balsam Fir
- Blue Spruce
- Douglas Fir
- Fraser Fir
- Noble Fir
- Scots Pine
- White Pine
Deciduous Flowering Trees
- Crabapple
- Dogwood
- Crepe Myrtle
- Flowering Pear
- Flowering Cherry
- Flowering Plum
- Hawthorn
- Magnolia
- Redbud
- Service Berry
Broadleaf Evergreens
- Azalea
- Boxwood
- Cotoneaster
- Euonymus
- Holly
- Pieris
- Rhododendron
- Viburnum
Deciduous Shade Trees
- Ash
- Elm
- Honey Locust
- Linden
- Maple
- Oak
- Poplar
- Sweetgum
- Sycamore
Landscape Conifers
- Aborvitae
- Chamaecyparis
- Hemlock
- Juniper
- Pine
- Spruce
- Yew
Deciduous Shrubs
- Barberry
- Bubbleia
- Hibiscus
- Hydrangea
- Rose
- Spirea
- Viburnum
- Weigela
