Stratum
Plants of the low stratum
The low stratum lives under the canopies, at around 80% cover, and gathers the shade-tolerant species — coffee, cacao, many medicinals. Until the canopy closes, they depend on the pioneers' shade.
113 species in the catalog · Refine this list in the catalog
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cagaita
Eugenia dysenterica
Secondary II Medium No biomass productionNative Cerrado fruit tree (4–10 m), rounded canopy. Flowers in August–September at peak drought before the rains — white blooms covering bare branc...
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Surinam cherry
Eugenia uniflora
Secondary I Medium No biomass productionSmall native fruit tree of the Atlantic Forest. Pasini lists it in the medium stratum of Tabela 4 (3–10 year phase). Cherry-red bittersweet fruit, ...
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flemingia
Flemingia macrophylla
Placenta II Low Mulch biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerA perennial, woody, deep-rooted leguminous shrub up to 2.5 m tall, native to the humid tropics of Asia. It fixes nitrogen and is widely used in con...
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fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
Placenta I Low No biomass productionPerennial Mediterranean herb (1–2 m), feathery anise-scented leaves. Seeds used as seasoning and medicinal. Bulb of the sweet variety is a vegetabl...
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achacha
Garcinia humilis
Secondary II Medium No biomass productionAmazonian fruit tree of Bolivian origin, related to bacuri and mangosteen. Medium small tree (4–8 m), dense columnar canopy, glossy leaves. Orange ...
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mangosteen
Garcinia mangostana
Secondary II Medium No biomass productionAsian tropical fruit introduced to Brazil, known as the 'queen of fruits' for the flavor of its white pulp. Pasini lists it in the medium stratum o...
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soybean
Glycine max
Placenta I Low Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerAnnual nitrogen-fixing legume (associates with Bradyrhizobium japonicum) — tall varieties Sambaíba and Tracajá were tested by Rebello & Sakamoto (2...
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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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yerba mate
Ilex paraguariensis
Secondary II Medium No biomass productionTree native to highland Atlantic Forest and southern Brazilian grasslands, listed by IPOEMA among major Brazilian perennial crops in agroforestry c...
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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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lettuce
Lactuca sativa
Placenta I Low No biomass productionAnnual leafy vegetable cultivated in syntropic systems in the low stratum of the Placenta I phase. Pasini lists it in the medium stratum of Tabela ...
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bay laurel
Laurus nobilis
Secondary II Medium No biomass productionMediterranean medium tree (4–10 m), evergreen leathery leaves — basis of tea, seasoning, and ornamental use. Occupies low/medium stratum in souther...
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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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arrowroot
Maranta arundinacea
Placenta II Low No biomass productionPerennial tropical tuber crop whose starch is traditionally used in porridges and biscuits. EcoAgri lists it in the low stratum of the 'up to 3 yea...
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Mombaça grass
Megathyrsus maximus
Placenta II Low Mulch biomassHighly productive forage grass producing large amounts of cover biomass. Central in large-scale syntropic experiments (Rebello & Sakamoto 2019) — c...
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lemon balm
Melissa officinalis
Placenta I Low No biomass productionPerennial herb (40–80 cm), light-green strongly lemon-scented leaves. Tolerates partial shade — fills shaded niches where rosemary and thyme don't ...
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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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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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holythorn
Monteverdia ilicifolia
Secondary I Medium No biomass productionAn evergreen shrub or small tree of the Celastraceae family, native to southern and southeastern Brazil, with leathery, spiny-margined holly-like l...
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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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velvet bean
Mucuna pruriens
Placenta I Low Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixerAnnual climbing legume that fixes nitrogen (~180–220 kg N/ha) and produces dense cover biomass. Suppresses weeds, decompacts the soil, and is one o...
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dwarf cavendish banana
Musa acuminata
Placenta II Medium Mulch biomassCavendish AAA dwarf cultivar (1.8–2.5 m). Dessert-banana market staple. Resistant to Panama disease race 1 but susceptible to Yellow Sigatoka. In s...
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camu camu
Myrciaria dubia
Placenta II Low No biomass productionAmazonian small tree (2–6 m) of floodable areas — in native habitat survives 4–5 months submerged. Small dark-red fruits with the highest known nat...
❓ Frequently asked questions
What is the low stratum?
Low forest stratum; tolerates significant shade.
Which plants occupy the low stratum?
The catalog holds 113 species, among them cagaita, Surinam cherry, flemingia. Each profile shows stratum, succession stage, and the management data, with sources cited.