Climate
Plants for the Tropical rainforest (Af) climate
Equatorial: hot all year, no dry season. The most open planting window of all — constant moisture sustains dense successions and short pruning-and-mulching cycles.
109 species in the catalog · Refine this list in the catalog
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mangium
Acacia mangium
Secondary I Emergent Fertilizer & mulch 🌱 Nitrogen fixerExtremely fast-growing nitrogen-fixing legume, central in syntropic systems as a producer of both cover and fertilizer biomass. Pasini classifies i...
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toothache plant
Acmella oleracea
Placenta I Ground cover No biomass productionA low-growing annual or short-lived perennial herb of Amazonian origin, with edible leaves and yellow inflorescences that produce a characteristic ...
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slender amaranth
Amaranthus viridis
Placenta I Low Mulch biomassAn erect annual herb in the Amaranthaceae, widely distributed in the American tropics and cosmopolitan as a volunteer. It grows about 0.3–0.8 m tal...
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pineapple
Ananas comosus
Placenta II Low No biomass productionPerennial bromeliad cultivated in the low stratum of syntropic systems. Pasini lists it in the low stratum of Tabela 3. Fruits in ~22–24 months; re...
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pérola pineapple
Ananas comosus
Placenta II Ground cover No biomass productionDominant cultivar in Brazil's domestic market. Erect plants with long spiny leaves, long peduncle, conical fruits weighing 1.0–1.5 kg, aromatic whi...
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smooth cayenne pineapple
Ananas comosus
Placenta II Ground cover No biomass productionWorld's export leader until MD-2 arrived. Leaves nearly spineless. Cylindrical fruits 1.5–2.0 kg, yellow-orange skin, firm yellow flesh rich in sug...
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biriba
Annona mucosa
Secondary I High No biomass productionAmazonian fruit of the Annonaceae (cousin of pinha and graviola). Pasini lists it in the high stratum of Tabela 3. Creamy white pulp highly prized;...
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soursop
Annona muricata
Secondary I High No biomass productionTropical fruit with sweet-tart white pulp and well-documented medicinal properties. Pasini lists it in the high stratum of Tabela 3. Native to Amaz...
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pinto peanut
Arachis pintoi
Placenta I Ground cover Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerPerennial creeping legume with stolons, 20–40 cm tall. Permanent living mulch, persists under 70% shade. Fixes nitrogen, produces 5–13 t/ha/year of...
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breadfruit
Artocarpus altilis
Climax High No biomass productionPacific fruit tree naturalized in Brazilian coastal and Amazonian regions. EcoAgri lists it in the high stratum of the '> 50 years' bin. Starchy fr...
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jackfruit
Artocarpus heterophyllus
Secondary II High No biomass productionAsian fruit tree naturalized in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Pasini lists it in the high stratum of Tabela 3 and in the 5–18 year phase of the co...
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tucumã palm
Astrocaryum vulgare
Secondary II High No biomass productionAmazonian high-stratum spiny palm, listed by Embrapa among native fruit species for Amazonian SAFs. Orange fruits very rich in beta-carotene and oi...
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bilimbi
Averrhoa bilimbi
Secondary I Medium No biomass productionSmall tropical tree (5–10 m), close relative of carambola (Averrhoa carambola, already in canon). Small green cylindrical very acidic fruits — used...
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starfruit
Averrhoa carambola
Secondary II Medium No biomass productionAsian fruit tree naturalized in Brazil, with the characteristic star-shape when sliced. EcoAgri lists it in the medium stratum of the 'up to 50 yea...
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peach palm
Bactris gasipaes
Secondary II Emergent No biomass productionAmazonian multi-stemmed palm; produces heart of palm in ~3 years and edible fruit in ~5 years. Pasini lists it in the emergent stratum of Tabela 3 ...
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punting pole bamboo
Bambusa tuldoides
Secondary I High Mulch biomassA clumping bamboo native to southern China, with straight, relatively slender culms 6–12 m tall, widely used as poles, in light construction and cr...
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common bamboo
Bambusa vulgaris
Secondary I High Mulch biomassA clumping (non-running) bamboo native to Southeast Asia and one of the most widely cultivated bamboos in the tropics. It forms dense clumps with c...
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Malabar spinach
Basella alba
Placenta I Low No biomass productionA vigorous perennial soft-stemmed climbing vine grown as an annual, native to tropical Asia and widely naturalized in Brazil. Its thick, mucilagino...
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Brazil nut
Bertholletia excelsa
Climax Emergent Mulch biomassAmazonian emergent giant reaching 50 m. Pasini lists it in the emergent stratum of Tabela 3 and cites 'castanheiras' among Abundance-system species...
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annatto
Bixa orellana
Secondary I Medium No biomass productionTropical American native dye-producing shrub. Pasini lists it in the medium stratum of Tabela 3 and in the 3–10 year phase of Tabela 4. Seeds yield...
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calliandra
Calliandra calothyrsus
Placenta II Medium Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerA very fast-growing leguminous shrub or small tree, usually 4-6 m tall, native to Central America. A nitrogen fixer that coppices vigorously after ...
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cumari pepper
Capsicum baccatum
Placenta II Low No biomass productionNative Brazilian forest pepper, small (~1 cm) very pungent fruits (30,000–100,000 SHU). Tolerates partial shade — riparian forest understory and ho...
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pimenta de cheiro
Capsicum chinense
Placenta II Low No biomass productionBrazilian C. chinense pepper with low pungency (0–500 SHU) and very intense aroma. Round yellow/green/red fruits. Foundation of Pará and Amazon cui...
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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...
❓ Frequently asked questions
What is the Tropical rainforest (Af) climate?
Hot and humid year-round, with no marked dry season. Monthly rainfall above 60 mm. Typical of the Amazon and northern coast. Syntropic systems thrive here — the limiting factor is light, not water.
Which plants does the catalog suggest for the Tropical rainforest (Af) climate?
The catalog holds 109 species, among them mangium, toothache plant, slender amaranth. Each profile shows stratum, succession stage, and the management data, with sources cited.