Stratum
Plants of the high stratum
The high stratum forms the system's main canopy, in the 30–40% cover range. Much of the timber and the large fruit trees live here — and their spacing decides how much light reaches the strata below.
167 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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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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guaco
Mikania glomerata
Secondary I Medium Mulch biomassA perennial woody climber (liana) of the Asteraceae family, native to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern and southern Brazil, occurring along rive...
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maricá
Mimosa bimucronata
Placenta II Medium Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerA pioneer leguminous tree or small tree, spiny and much-branched, 4-8 m tall (occasionally to 15 m), native to eastern and southern Brazil. It fixe...
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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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bracatinga
Mimosa scabrella
Secondary I High Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerPioneer legume native to southern Brazil and highland Atlantic Forest, listed by IPOEMA among anchor Brazilian species for SAFs (alongside cacao, y...
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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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black mulberry
Morus nigra
Secondary I High Fertilizer biomassFast-growing fruit tree, tolerates drastic pruning well and coppices readily — ideal as a nurse plant in syntropic systems. Pasini lists it in the ...
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giant cavendish banana
Musa acuminata
Placenta II High Mulch biomassCavendish AAA tall cultivar (3–4 m); the dominant Brazilian export variety. Heavier bunch than Nanica (30–40 kg).
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sucrier banana
Musa acuminata
Placenta II High Mulch biomassAA diploid cultivar, small sweet fruits (8–12 kg per bunch), medium plant (3–4 m). Niche production, premium price. More common in coastal São Paul...
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pome banana
Musa × paradisiaca
Placenta II High Mulch biomassAAB Pome subgroup, tall (5–7 m), bunch 12–18 kg. Slightly tart flavor prized in the Brazilian domestic market. Before Prata-Anã it dominated the so...
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silk banana
Musa × paradisiaca
Placenta II High Mulch biomassAAB Silk subgroup, medium-tall (3–4 m). Sweet flavor with distinctive aroma, premium market price. Highly susceptible to Panama disease (Fusarium o...
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thap maeo banana
Musa × paradisiaca
Placenta II High Mulch biomassAAB cultivar of Thai origin recommended by Embrapa for regions with high Black/Yellow Sigatoka pressure. Tall (4–5 m), bunch 18–25 kg. Good fit for...
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banana
Musa × paradisiaca
Placenta II High Mulch biomassBanana is a fast-growing pioneer species valued for cover biomass, edible fruit, and a structuring role in syntropic rows. Grows in any moist, well...
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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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dwarf pome banana
Musa × paradisiaca
Placenta II High Mulch biomassDwarf mutation of Prata (AAB), 2.5–3.5 m. Together with Prata and Pacovan accounts for ~60% of Brazilian banana area. Per Embrapa, a 'watershed' cu...
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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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guabiju
Myrcianthes pungens
Secondary II High Mulch biomassNative tree of the Pampa, southern Atlantic Forest, and southern Minas Gerais. 8–15 m, dense canopy. Dark-red to purple fruit, sweet delicately fla...
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balsa
Ochroma pyramidale
Secondary I High Mulch biomassFast-growing pioneer neotropical tree — reaches 20 m in 5 years. IPOEMA cites pau-de-balsa among fast-growing prune-tolerant species, alongside euc...
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bacaba palm
Oenocarpus bacaba
Climax High No biomass productionAmazonian fruit palm, cousin of açaí. The Bosque de Niebla Guidebook (Farm Evolving timeline) includes it at the 40-year stage alongside Brazil nut...
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rice
Oryza sativa
Placenta I High Mulch biomassWorld's most-cultivated annual cereal. The Bosque de Niebla Guidebook (Consortium Design 2019) places rice as a typical Placenta I species in the h...
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passion fruit
Passiflora edulis
Placenta II High No biomass productionBrazilian-native woody fruiting climber. Pasini lists it in the high stratum of Tabela 3 (grows over high-stratum structures). Fruits in ~9–12 mont...
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giant granadilla
Passiflora quadrangularis
Placenta II Medium No biomass productionOne of the most vigorous Passiflora vines, with squared stem cross-section (origin of the scientific name). Huge fruit — 15–30 cm, up to 4 kg — wit...
❓ Frequently asked questions
What is the high stratum?
Form the main canopy; tolerate occasional shade.
Which plants occupy the high stratum?
The catalog holds 167 species, among them coquinho mango, cassava, guaco. Each profile shows stratum, succession stage, and the management data, with sources cited.