Middle to high understory shade tolerant crops

The species can grow in the understory of taller tree species. They occupy the middle to high understory. Although they are shade-tolerant, they still need some light to penetrate the canopy (about 50 percent shade/light).

TABLE 16. SPECIES DESCRIPTION.

SCIENTIFIC NAME	COMMON NAME	HEIGHT (ft.)	USES
Acacia meamsii	Black wattle	6-20	Fuelwood poles, green manure, tannin erosion control, soil improvement
Albizzia lebbek	Langil	up to 30	Fuelwood timber, fodder, soil improvement
Alnus nepalensis		up to 30	Fuelwood timber, fodder, soil improvement
Annona muricata	Guyabano	5-9	Fruit
Averrhoa bilimbi	Kamias	2-12	Fruit
Bixa orellana	Achuete	2-8	Fruit (cosmetics dye), live fence
Calamus merillli and many other species	Rattan	up to 50	Furniture, fiber
Calliandra calothyrsus	Calliandra	4-10	Fuelwood, fodder, erosion control, soil improvement, bee forage
Casuarina equisetifolia	Agoho	4-10	Fuelwood, fodder, erosion control, soil improvement bee forage
Coffea spp.	Kafe	4-5	Fruit (coffee beans), fuelwood
Desmodium gyroides	Karikut- rikut	1-4	Fodder, soil improvement, erosion control
Flemingia macrophylla	Flemingia	2-3	Soil imp row meet, erosion control
Lancium sp.	Lanzones	5-9	Fruit
Livistona rotundifolia	Anahau Fan palm	15-20	Fiber, food (fruit, buds, shoots), small timber
Musa textilis	Abaca	1.54	Fiber
Musa spp. Var saba	Saba	1.5-4	Fruit
Pithecellobium dulce	Kamachile	18-20	Fruit, fuelwood, small timber, fodder, soil improvement, fencing
Psidium guajava	Bayabas fuelwood	3-10	Fruit, erosion control
Theobroma cacao	Cacao	5-8	Fruit (chocolate)

TABLE 17. SPECIES REQUIREMENT.

Species name	Shade	Climatic	Elevation	Soils
	Tolerance¹	Adaptability²
Acacia meamsii	M	WD, PW	100-2500m	Deep fertile soils, sandy loams, shale or slate derived neutral to acid soils
Albizzia lebbek	S	WD, PD	Up to 1400m	Highly adaptable including saline soils; alkaline to neutral soils
Alnus nepalensis	H	WD, PW	1000-3000m	Deep loamy acid to neutral soils; also tolerates steep, rocky eroded sites
Annona muricata	M	WD, PW	Up to 1000m	Suited to most soils, but does not tolerate waterlogging
Averrhoa bilimbi	S-M	WD, PW	Up to 500m	Needs well-drained soil, pH can be neutral to alkaline
Bixa orellana	S	WD, PW	Up to 800m	Adaptable, but prefers moist, deep, loamy soil
Calamus merillii	H	PW
Calliandra calothyrsus	S	WD	250-1500m	Adaptable to wide range of site conditions, including acid soils
Casuarina equisetifolia	S	WD, PD	Up to 500m	Thrives on sandy soils, coastal dunes
Coffea spp.	M	WD, PW	Up to 750m	Needs deep, well drained, acid to alkaline soils, but does well on day soils
Desmodium gyroides	M	WD,PD	Up to 1000m	Tolerates infertile soils, adaptable to acid or alkaline soils and can tolerate water logging
Flemingia macrophylla	S-M	WD	Up to 2000m	Adaptable to wide range of soils and can be grown on infertile or heavy clay soils
Lancium spp.	H	WD, PW	Up to 800m	Prefers moist, fertile, medium textured, slightly acidic soil with good drainage and high organic matter content
Livistona rotundifolia	H	WD, PD	Low to medium elevation
Musa textilis	M	PW	Up to 1600m	Deep, friable, fertile loam with good drainage: tolerates pH from acid to alkaline
Musa spp. var saba	S	WD, PW	Up to 1800m	Prefers well-drained soils, but can also tolerate heavy clays
Pithecellobium dulce	S-M	WD, PD	Up to 1800m	Prefers well-drained soils, but can also tolerate heavy clays
Psidium guava	M	WD, PD	Up to 1500m	Highly adaptable
Theobroma cacao	S	PW	Up to 700m	Prefers soil with good moisture retention, but welt drained; does not last on clay loam soil

1 Shade tolerance:

H = highly shade-tolerant;
M = moderately shade-tolerant;
S=sibhtly shade-tolerant

2 Climatic adaptability:

WD = with distinct wet and dry seasons
PW = pronounced wet season;
PO = pronounced dry season