Biome
Plants of the Caatinga biome
Semi-arid, with concentrated, irregular rains: in the Caatinga the priority is building shade and biomass fast to protect the soil, with species that hold through the dry spells. Check each profile for drought tolerance and the species' relation to the biome.
95 species in the catalog · Refine this list in the catalog
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malagueta pepper
Capsicum frutescens
Placenta II Low No biomass productionVery pungent Brazilian pepper (60,000–100,000 SHU), small upright red fruits. Perennial in tropical zones (3–5 years). Tolerates light shade. Widel...
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trumpet tree
Cecropia pachystachya
Placenta II Medium Mulch biomassFast-growing, short-lived (~20 years) pioneer tree that colonizes edges and gaps in all Brazilian biomes. Fruits eaten by birds and primates; symbi...
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vetiver
Chrysopogon zizanioides
Placenta II Low Mulch biomassPerennial grass with deep vertical roots (up to 4 m), originally from India. The Bosque de Niebla Guidebook recommends vetiver as a hedgerow specie...
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butterfly pea
Clitoria ternatea
Placenta I Ground cover Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerA perennial herbaceous climbing legume able to fix up to 100 kg N per hectare per year in symbiosis with Rhizobium. Used as a high-value forage (pr...
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coconut palm
Cocos nucifera
Secondary II Emergent No biomass productionHigh-value palm naturalized along Brazilian coastlines. Pasini lists it in the emergent stratum of Tabela 3. Tolerates salinity and coastal winds; ...
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green dwarf coconut
Cocos nucifera
Secondary II High No biomass productionGreen Dwarf cultivar — Brazil's commercial mainstay for coconut water. 8–12 m tall, 30–40 year economic life, first harvest at 2–3 years. Yields 15...
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tall coconut
Cocos nucifera
Secondary II Emergent No biomass productionTall variety — emergent (20–30 m), 60–70 year lifespan, first flowering at 5–7 years. 60–80 large fruits per plant per year for copra, oil, and fib...
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hybrid coconut
Cocos nucifera
Secondary II High No biomass productionDwarf × Tall hybrids registered by Embrapa (BRS 001, 002, 003). Intermediate height (15–20 m), early bearing (4 years), medium fruits. Combine Tall...
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camaratuba
Cratylia mollis
Placenta II Low Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerNative shrubby legume of the Caatinga; one of the most important fodder species of the northeastern semiarid, with strong drought resistance and hi...
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sunn hemp
Crotalaria juncea
Placenta I High Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerAnnual green-manure legume, fixes up to ~450 kg N/ha, ideal for the Placenta I phase. Breaks nematode cycles and contributes large amounts of ferti...
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melon
Cucumis melo
Placenta I Ground cover No biomass productionAnnual creeping cucurbit. EcoAgri lists it in the ground-cover stratum of the 'up to 6 months' bin. Cultivated in hot, dry climates; very popular i...
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lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus
Placenta I Low Mulch biomassPerennial aromatic grass (1–1.5 m) forming dense clumps. Lemon-scented leaves (citral). Permanent cover between tree rows in syntropic systems, mos...
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yellow yam
Dioscorea cayennensis
Placenta II Medium No biomass productionTuber-bearing climber cultivated in the medium stratum of syntropic systems. Pasini lists yam in the medium stratum of Tabela 3 and in the '1 to 3 ...
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mulungu
Erythrina velutina
Secondary I High Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerBrazilian-native nitrogen-fixing tree legume; propagates easily by cuttings and produces abundant fertilizer biomass. Cited by Pasini among tree-fo...
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genipa
Genipa americana
Climax High No biomass productionPan-Brazilian native fruit (Cerrado, MA, Amazonia, Pantanal). EcoAgri lists it in the high stratum of the '> 50 years' bin. Edible fruit and source...
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gliricidia
Gliricidia sepium
Secondary I Medium Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerNitrogen-fixing legume that tolerates drastic pruning and produces fast-decomposing fertilizer biomass. Commonly used as shade for coffee and cocoa...
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West Indian elm
Guazuma ulmifolia
Secondary I High Mulch biomassFast-growing pioneer tree native to the Cerrado, Pantanal, and Atlantic Forest. Pasini lists it in the high stratum of Tabela 3 and in the 10–20 ye...
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mangaba
Hancornia speciosa
Secondary II MediumEvergreen to semi-deciduous tree 2–10 m tall, characteristic of Brazilian Cerrado and coastal tablelands. Considered one of Brazil's priority 'Plan...
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pink lapacho
Handroanthus impetiginosus
Climax Emergent Mulch biomassEmergent tree native to Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Amazon, and Pantanal. Reaches 20–35 m in the wild, 8–12 m in cultivation. Vivid magenta...
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roselle
Hibiscus sabdariffa
Placenta II Medium Mulch biomassAn annual or short-lived subshrub in the Malvaceae, native to Africa and cultivated throughout the tropics. The fleshy red calyces are used to make...
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jatoba
Hymenaea courbaril
Climax Emergent Mulch biomassTropical climax with extremely dense timber; fruit pulp is edible. Common in syntropic abundance systems.
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sweet potato
Ipomoea batatas
Placenta I Ground cover No biomass productionShort-cycle creeping tuber crop. Pasini lists it in the low stratum of Tabela 3. Excellent living ground cover early in the agroforestry cycle, edi...
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bellyache bush
Jatropha gossypiifolia
Placenta II Low Mulch biomassXerophytic shrub native to the Caatinga, cited by Rebello among plants that thrive in low-rainfall environments, alongside forage cactus and sisal....
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arara nut tree
Joannesia princeps
Climax Emergent Mulch biomassAtlantic Forest emergent surviving 80+ years. Rebello highlights its key successional role: planted with embaúba (secondary I, 10–20 yr) and guapur...
❓ Frequently asked questions
What characterizes the Caatinga biome?
A uniquely Brazilian semi-arid biome. Deciduous vegetation adapted to prolonged drought (8–10 months): cacti, deep-rooted trees, species whose phenology is rain-driven. For agroforestry systems in semi-arid zones, Caatinga offers the richest pool of xerophytic species in the hemisphere.
Which plants does the catalog suggest for the Caatinga biome?
The catalog holds 95 species, among them malagueta pepper, trumpet tree, vetiver. Each profile shows stratum, succession stage, and the management data, with sources cited.