Electing your plant species for your syntropic system is a very difficult process for many. It's this typical overwhelming process where you don't know which plants to choose, that's why I aimed at making it much easier for you; condensing it down to 30 plants that grow very fast. Bear with me, it doesn't include later succession species, but don't worry, it's much more important to elect the right species entering into the secondary phase of a forest rather than thinking too much about which species will come later, as you can plant these later anyway. Most important advice here, don't overthink it, use whatever species grows fastest in your context to establish your system ASAP. I've separated the low water needs plants from the moderate water needs from the high water needs plants - symbolized by the water droplets. To be clear this is about water requirements at establishment, many plants in the moderate water needs will become tough as nails over time but if not watered enough at establishment, they will die. As well, the pile of sand (only tagasaste) symbolizes the need of the plant to be in loose or sandy soil. The shovel means these plants require good decompaction to get a good headstart - meaning breaking down the hardpan in a clay compacted soil - ex: using a subsoiler. Also, the snowflake means that these plants are frost sensitive, typically when temperatures go lower than 2 degrees they can exhibit damage. these plants are truly meant for a mild Mediterranean climate - especially mild winters. Lastly, the successional role of these plants is added at the end : - Placenta : Short-lived - Usually about 5 years maximum within a Mediterranean syntropic system. They can reach maturity within 6 months to a year and provide the fastest growth at establishment of your system. - Pioneer - Secondary : Plants that consolidate the transition from scrubland to forest. They are fast-growing too - but not as much as the placenta plants, usually reaching maturity around year 2 or 3. They create these conditions for the secondary forest to take place by providing high amounts of biomass and shade for the secondary seedlings below.

As you may know, if you work in the Mediterranean climate, the Summer sun is a tough one and can have certain plants absolutely scorched by the Summer sun. Tomatoes are quite an example of that, and that happens with many nightshades and other summer vegetables. The same can happen to bushes and trees if planted in full sun. And for me this is one of the main reason I stick with syntropic agroforestry to this day. I've made observations of Summer crops planted in full sun vs between syntropic lines. And the difference can be massive sometimes. Not only are they protecting the crops from intense sunlight but as well from evaporation which is another consideration. So, it's why I want to share with you 5 of the emergent powerhouse trees that work quite well in the Mediterranean. The emergent strata/layer is key in the Mediterranean for our dappled sunlight trickling through our canopy layer and below. And I will share quick considerations about all 5 of them. You'll understand by the end of this article that these 5 different emergents are adapted to different conditions and there's always drawbacks in using any of them but also advantages that you can benefit from for your specific context Eucalyptus (camaldulensis/globulus) Everyone who's planted a syntropic system in the Mediterranean has tried planting eucalyptus. After all it's been referred to as "the king" for its fast growth and enormous biomass that it can offer. I've had many grow to 2m tall in 1 year with little irrigation. Now one consideration, eucalyptus trees grow much faster if they have access to underground water, but it is is still possible to grow them with driplines, after all these eucalyptus that grew 2m in one year did not have access to ground water. But for a very limited water supply they might not be your best bet. As well, it's important to discern eucalyptus growth in the subtropics from the semi-arid climate. In the subtropics you'd see many people taking their heads completely off. Same in Mediterranean plantations that have access to groundwater but if that's not your case, it's important to keep stubs and/or branches that have the potential to become new leaders rather than taking off 100% of its foliage.