Skip to content
sintropia.club
PT EN

Plants

monjoleiro

Acacia polyphylla DC.

Family: Fabaceae · Genus: Senegalia

monjolo wattle

Secondary I High Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixer 🪓 Coppices after cutting
Diogo Luiz - https://www.inaturalist.org/people/diogoluiz · CC BY-SA · Wikimedia Commons

Pioneer legume native to the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. Medium-to-tall tree (10–20 m), fine compound leaves. Very rapid growth — structural species for syntropic systems on degraded land. Nitrogen fixer. Light wood used for crates.

📚 Synonyms

Scientific synonyms: Senegalia polyphylla (DC.) Britton & Rose

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Secondary I
Ecological role
Early secondary
Primary stratum
High
Strata
Emergent, High
Biomass class
Fertilizer biomass

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
Moderate
Soil pH range
4.5–7
Preferred soil texture
Loamy, Clayey
Hardiness zones
10–12

Morphology

Mature height
10–20 m
Recommended spacing
3–6 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Deep
Growth rate
Very fast
Lifespan
15–40 years

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Monjoleiro takes the High stratum in the Secondary I phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time. It also fixes nitrogen, feeding the soil for its line neighbors.

Design my guild

Free account — and the catalog stays open, no sign-up needed.

Emergent High · ≈20 m Medium Low Ground cover

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: October, November, December, January, February

Fruiting months: May, June, July, August

❓ Frequently asked questions

What spacing is recommended for monjoleiro?

The recommended spacing for monjoleiro is 3–6 m.

How tall does monjoleiro grow?

At maturity, monjoleiro reaches 10–20 m tall.

When does monjoleiro fruit?

Fruiting of monjoleiro occurs in May, June, July, August.

When does monjoleiro flower?

Flowering of monjoleiro occurs in October, November, December, January, February.

What stage and stratum does monjoleiro occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, monjoleiro belongs to the secondary i stage, occupying the high stratum.

Does monjoleiro fix nitrogen?

Yes — monjoleiro is a nitrogen-fixing species that helps fertilize the system's soil.

Functions

🌱 Nitrogen fixer 🌿 Biomass producer Timber Fuelwood 🪴 Nurse plant

Propagation

Seed

Citations

  1. Useful Tropical Plants — Senegalia polyphylla (height, growth, nitrogen fixation, pioneer) (height_min_m, height_max_m, growth_rate, nitrogen_fixer, root_system, root_depth)
  2. Costa et al. (2024) — Nutrient Allocation and Growth Responses of Senegalia polyphylla (Plants, MDPI 13:2420) (growth_rate, nitrogen_fixer)

External references

Continue exploring

Related plants