Plant Catalog · Sintropia

taro

Colocasia esculenta

Distinct from taioba (Xanthosoma sagittifolium, already in canon, native species) and from yam (Dioscorea spp.). Introduced Asian species cultivate...

lemongrass

Cymbopogon citratus

Placenta I Low Mulch biomass

Perennial aromatic grass (1–1.5 m) forming dense clumps. Lemon-scented leaves (citral). Permanent cover between tree rows in syntropic systems, mos...

water yam

Dioscorea alata

Placenta II Low Fertilizer biomass

Asian-origin yam naturalized throughout tropical Brazil. Vigorous vine with winged stems, large tubers (up to 5 kg). More productive than purple ya...

yellow yam

Dioscorea cayennensis

Placenta II Medium No biomass production

Tuber-bearing climber cultivated in the medium stratum of syntropic systems. Pasini lists yam in the medium stratum of Tabela 3 and in the '1 to 3 ...

persimmon

Diospyros kaki

Secondary II High No biomass production

Asian subtropical fruit tree, popular in southern and southeastern Brazil. EcoAgri lists it in the high stratum of the 'up to 50 years' bin. Tolera...

African oil palm

Elaeis guineensis

Secondary II Emergent No biomass production

African palm cultivated mainly for oil (palm oil). Rebello & Sakamoto (2019) report Götsch testing oil palm in multi-strata silvopastoral systems a...

loquat

Eriobotrya japonica

Secondary II High No biomass production

Asian fruit tree naturalized in highland regions of Brazil. EcoAgri lists it in the high stratum of the 'up to 50 years' bin. Flowers in winter, fr...

rose gum

Eucalyptus grandis

Secondary I Emergent Mulch biomass

Typical accumulation species in syntropic systems: cover biomass, timber in 15 years. Non-native but widely used in Brazilian SAFs.

fig

Ficus carica

Secondary II High No biomass production

Mediterranean fruit tree naturalized in Brazil. EcoAgri marks it as an edge species in the '> 50 years' bin (small habit, needs full sun). High str...

fennel

Foeniculum vulgare

Placenta I Low No biomass production

Perennial Mediterranean herb (1–2 m), feathery anise-scented leaves. Seeds used as seasoning and medicinal. Bulb of the sweet variety is a vegetabl...

mangosteen

Garcinia mangostana

Secondary II Medium No biomass production

Asian 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...

gliricidia

Gliricidia sepium

Secondary I Medium Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixer

Nitrogen-fixing legume that tolerates drastic pruning and produces fast-decomposing fertilizer biomass. Commonly used as shade for coffee and cocoa...

sweet potato

Ipomoea batatas

Placenta I Ground cover No biomass production

Short-cycle creeping tuber crop. Pasini lists it in the low stratum of Tabela 3. Excellent living ground cover early in the agroforestry cycle, edi...

leucaena

Leucaena leucocephala

Secondary I High Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixer

Fast-growing nitrogen-fixing tree legume with strong coppicing ability. Cited by Pasini as a tree-form fertilizer biomass species — sources fertili...

lychee

Litchi chinensis

Climax High No biomass production

Asian subtropical fruit tree naturalized in southern and southeastern Brazil. EcoAgri lists it in the high stratum of the '> 50 years' bin. Fruits ...

macadamia nut

Macadamia integrifolia

Climax High No biomass production

Australian tree grown for its high-value oily nut. EcoAgri lists it in the high stratum of the '> 50 years' bin. Adapts well to southern and southe...

acerola

Malpighia emarginata

Secondary I High No biomass production

Small fruit shrub; fruits exceptionally rich in vitamin C. Pasini lists it in the high stratum of Tabela 3 and cites it among Abundance-system spec...

mango

Mangifera indica

Secondary II High No biomass production

Long-lived tropical fruit tree. Pasini lists it in the high stratum of Tabela 3 and in the '20 to 50 years' phase of Tabela 4 (high stratum). A key...

espada mango

Mangifera indica

Secondary II Emergent Mulch biomass

Brazil's oldest mango cultivar. Vigorous tall tree (12–15 m), green-to-yellow fruit with fibrous flesh (300 g, 18° Brix). Today used more as rootst...

bitter cassava

Manihot esculenta

Placenta II Low Fertilizer biomass

Cultivar group of Manihot esculenta with high cyanogenic glycoside content (>100 mg HCN/kg fresh root). Unsafe for direct consumption — requires ro...

cassava

Manihot esculenta

Placenta II High Mulch biomass

Placenta 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 ...

arrowroot

Maranta arundinacea

Placenta II Low No biomass production

Perennial 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...

Mombaça grass

Megathyrsus maximus

Placenta II Low Mulch biomass

Highly productive forage grass producing large amounts of cover biomass. Central in large-scale syntropic experiments (Rebello & Sakamoto 2019) — c...

noni

Morinda citrifolia

Secondary I Medium No biomass production

Tropical small tree (3–6 m) introduced in Brazil. Large dark-green leaves, ovoid yellowish-white strong-smelling ripe fruits. Medicinal pulp — supp...