Climate
Plants for the Hot semi-arid (BSh) climate
Hot semi-arid: scarce, irregular rain. Favor hardy, deep-rooted species, fast shade, and every bit of biomass turned into mulch — the water that falls has to stay in the system.
81 species in the catalog · Refine this list in the catalog
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coquinho mango
Mangifera indica
Secondary II High No biomass productionMedium-sized cultivar (6–9 m), branched canopy. Small round fruit (120–150 g), light yellow-green skin, fibrous flesh with good flavor. Highly prod...
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palmer mango
Mangifera indica
Secondary II High No biomass productionSemi-dwarf cultivar from Florida (1945). Open canopy, 6–8 m. Elongated fruit, 600–800 g, firm yellow flesh, 21.6° Brix, almost fiber-free. Late rip...
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cassava
Manihot esculenta
Placenta II High Mulch biomassPlacenta II tuber crop widely cultivated across Amazonia and Brazil. Pasini lists it in the high stratum of Tabela 3 and as a species of the '1 to ...
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bitter cassava
Manihot esculenta
Placenta II Low Fertilizer biomassCultivar group of Manihot esculenta with high cyanogenic glycoside content (>100 mg HCN/kg fresh root). Unsafe for direct consumption — requires ro...
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Ceará rubber tree
Manihot glaziovii
Placenta II MediumShrub/small tree native to the Caatinga; one of the first species to flush leaves at the start of the rainy season. Leaves and twigs are used as ru...
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sabia tree
Mimosa caesalpiniifolia
Secondary I Medium Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerNative legume of the Caatinga and northeastern Atlantic Forest. Medium tree (4–10 m), sparse spiny canopy. Nitrogen-fixer — central in degraded-soi...
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jurema preta
Mimosa tenuiflora
Secondary I Medium Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerNative legume of the Caatinga and Atlantic Forest. Small-to-medium tree (4–8 m), fine leaves, fissured grey bark. Nitrogen-fixer, rapid recolonizer...
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noni
Morinda citrifolia
Secondary I Medium No biomass productionTropical small tree (3–6 m) introduced in Brazil. Large dark-green leaves, ovoid yellowish-white strong-smelling ripe fruits. Medicinal pulp — supp...
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moringa
Moringa oleifera
Secondary I High Fertilizer biomassMulti-purpose, extremely fast-growing Indo-African tree. The Bosque de Niebla Guidebook lists moringa among anchor species of the high stratum / Se...
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plantain
Musa × paradisiaca
Placenta II High Mulch biomassAAB Plantain subgroup — cooking banana, tall to emergent (5–7 m), bunch 15–25 kg with few large starchy fingers. Staple food across Northern and No...
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pacovan banana
Musa × paradisiaca
Placenta II High Mulch biomassAAB tall cultivar (5–6 m), large bunch (20–30 kg). Major Northeastern variety with better Yellow Sigatoka tolerance than Prata. Together with Prata...
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urundeuva
Myracrodruon urundeuva
Climax HighTree with extremely dense, durable hardwood; once dominant in the Caatinga but now threatened by overexploitation. Occurs in Caatinga, Cerrado and ...
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spineless cactus
Opuntia ficus-indica
Placenta II LowIntroduced cactus widely cultivated in the Brazilian semiarid as strategic fodder reserve. CAM metabolism gives extremely high water-use efficiency...
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Barbados gooseberry
Pereskia aculeata
Placenta II Medium No biomass productionAn atypical cactus with broad, non-succulent leaves and a spiny scrambling, shrubby habit, native to the Americas and common in southeastern and no...
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quintal avocado
Persea americana
Secondary II Emergent No biomass productionWest Indian Brazilian cultivar, mid-season ripening. Large fruit (>600 g, up to 1.2 kg), pyriform, with prized 'butter' flesh in the domestic marke...
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lima bean
Phaseolus lunatus
Placenta I High Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerAnnual or short-lived perennial nitrogen-fixing legume, native to the Americas. EcoAgri lists it in the high stratum of the 'up to 6 months' bin. C...
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common purslane
Portulaca oleracea
Placenta I Ground cover Mulch biomassA prostrate annual succulent herb in the Portulacaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution and very common as a volunteer in gardens and pavements. I...
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pomegranate
Punica granatum
Secondary I Low No biomass productionPomegranate, a deciduous shrub or small tree of the Lythraceae family, exotic to Brazil and cultivated across a wide range of the country. Drought-...
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castor bean
Ricinus communis
Placenta II Emergent Mulch biomassAnnual or short-lived perennial shrub/small tree, a high-yielding oilseed crop. EcoAgri lists it in the emergent stratum of the 'up to 3 years' bin...
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rosemary
Salvia rosmarinus
Placenta II Low No biomass productionPerennial Mediterranean shrub (0.8–1.5 m), aromatic, narrow resinous leaves. Extreme drought tolerance; prefers well-drained slightly alkaline soil...
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Brazilian jujube
Sarcomphalus joazeiro
Climax HighEvergreen Caatinga tree known for remaining green throughout the dry season thanks to deep taproots that reach groundwater.
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red-fleshed dragon fruit
Selenicereus costaricensis
Placenta II Low No biomass productionAn epiphytic, climbing cactus native to Central America and northwestern South America (from Nicaragua to northern Peru), grown for its deep red-fl...
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white-fleshed dragon fruit
Selenicereus undatus
Placenta II Low No biomass productionAn epiphytic, climbing cactus (originating between Mexico and Honduras) grown for its white-fleshed, pink-skinned dragon fruit. It grows on support...
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sesame
Sesamum indicum
Placenta I High No biomass productionIndo-African annual oilseed. EcoAgri lists it in the high stratum of the 'up to 6 months' bin. Tolerates sandy soils and drought well; seeds are hi...
❓ Frequently asked questions
What is the Hot semi-arid (BSh) climate?
Hot, with scarce and irregular rainfall (300–800 mm/year). The climate of the Caatinga. Agroforestry here starts from xerophytic species and prioritises water capture and infiltration.
Which plants does the catalog suggest for the Hot semi-arid (BSh) climate?
The catalog holds 81 species, among them coquinho mango, palmer mango, cassava. Each profile shows stratum, succession stage, and the management data, with sources cited.