Biome
Plants of the Atlantic Forest biome
A humid biome of varied terrain and enormous diversity — and home to much of Brazil's experience with syntropic agriculture. The list runs from fast pioneers to climax timber, which leaves room to design complete successions. Each species' relation to the biome is on its profile.
284 species in the catalog · Refine this list in the catalog
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white tephrosia
Tephrosia candida
Placenta II Low Mulch biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerA short-lived (3-4 years) perennial leguminous shrub of 1-3 m, native to India and widely introduced across the tropics. It fixes nitrogen and is g...
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cocoa
Theobroma cacao
Secondary I Low No biomass productionLow-stratum fruit tree shaded by bananas, ingás and palms in the Bahia syntropic systems pioneered by Götsch.
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forastero cacao
Theobroma cacao
Secondary II Medium No biomass productionBrazil's dominant cacao varietal group — yellow-green pods, purple-cotyledon seeds, robust but less aromatic flavor. Tall (6–12 m unpruned), vigoro...
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trinitario cacao
Theobroma cacao
Secondary II Medium No biomass productionHybrid group (Forastero × Criollo) originating in Trinidad. Combines Forastero's vigor with Criollo's cup quality. Medium height (5–8 m), intermedi...
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ccn-51 cacao
Theobroma cacao
Secondary II Medium No biomass productionEcuadorian hybrid clone (IMC-67 × ICS-95) selected by Homero Castro in the 1960s. Compact (4–5 m), self-compatible, high yield (up to 4 t/ha), and ...
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criollo cacao
Theobroma cacao
Secondary II Medium No biomass productionHeirloom varietal group — Mesoamerican origin, red or yellow pods with white-to-pale-purple seeds. Delicate, low-bitterness flavor — the basis of t...
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cupuaçu
Theobroma grandiflorum
Secondary I Medium No biomass productionAmazonian high-stratum fruit tree, cousin of cocoa. Pasini lists it in the high stratum of Tabela 3 and among Abundance-system species — middle pha...
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thyme
Thymus vulgaris
Placenta I Ground cover No biomass productionCreeping Mediterranean subshrub (15–30 cm), tiny leaves. Permanent ground cover in full sun on dry well-drained soil. Bee-attracting. Tolerates lig...
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tipu tree
Tipuana tipu
Secondary II Emergent Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerA very fast-growing leguminous tree of 10-30 m, with a broad spreading crown, native to southern Bolivia, northern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and...
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Mexican sunflower
Tithonia diversifolia
Placenta II High Fertilizer biomassFast-growing perennial shrub; propagated by stem cuttings; high biomass production rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Explicitly cited by...
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wheat
Triticum aestivum
Placenta I High Mulch biomassAnnual cereal originating in the Fertile Crescent. Rebello & Sakamoto (2019) tested wheat in a syntropic system in the Cerrado (Chapada dos Veadeir...
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garden nasturtium
Tropaeolum majus
Placenta I Ground cover No biomass productionA fast-growing trailing or climbing herb, annual or short-lived perennial, native to the South American Andes and widely grown as an ornamental. Al...
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blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
Secondary I Low No biomass productionNorthern highbush blueberry, a deciduous shrub of the Ericaceae family, exotic to Brazil and grown in cold regions of the south, notably Rio Grande...
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assa-peixe
Vernonanthura phosphorica
Placenta II Low Mulch biomassPioneer shrub-tree of Cerrado and Atlantic Forest, listed by Rebello among anchor species of the accumulation system. Indicator of shallow, dry soi...
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cowpea
Vigna unguiculata
Placenta I Ground cover Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerAnnual nitrogen-fixing legume, prostrate or semi-climbing. Adapted to NE Brazil — protein staple of regional cuisine. Short cycle (60–90 days). Mor...
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concord grape
Vitis labrusca
Secondary II Medium No biomass productionAmerican grapevine — rustic and tolerant of diseases that afflict V. vinifera in the tropics. Source of >90% of Brazilian grape production (Niagara...
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grape
Vitis vinifera
Secondary II Medium No biomass productionWoody perennial vine. Cultivated throughout Brazil — European grapevines (Vitis vinifera) in the South (table and wine grapes); American (V. labrus...
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tannia
Xanthosoma sagittifolium
Secondary I Low No biomass productionPANC perennial leafy vegetable widely used in Brazilian syntropic systems. Pasini lists it in the low stratum of Tabela 3 and in the '3 to 10 years...
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maize
Zea mays
Placenta I Emergent Mulch biomassAnnual C4 cereal — placed by Pasini in the emergent stratum of Tabela 3 and recommended for the 'up to 6 months' phase of Tabela 4. Short-cycle cov...
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ginger
Zingiber officinale
Placenta I Low No biomass productionPerennial tropical aromatic rhizome. Pasini lists it in the low stratum of Tabela 3 and in the '1 to 3 years' phase of Tabela 4. Adapts well to the...
❓ Frequently asked questions
What characterizes the Atlantic Forest biome?
Humid tropical forest that once covered Brazil's entire east coast. Less than 12% of original cover remains — restoring it is one of the central goals of Brazilian syntropic agriculture. High diversity of fruit, timber, and pioneer species adapted to a tropical-highland climate.
Which plants does the catalog suggest for the Atlantic Forest biome?
The catalog holds 284 species, among them white tephrosia, cocoa, forastero cacao. Each profile shows stratum, succession stage, and the management data, with sources cited.