Agroforestry Services: Living fence  Industrial Crop: Fiber  Management: Standard  Minor Global Crop

A plant of the drier tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 30c, but can tolerate 10 - 40c[418 ]. It can be damaged by temperatures of -5c or lower[418 ]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 900 - 1,250mm, but tolerates 700 - 2,500mm[418 ]. Requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.5, tolerating 6 - 8[418 ]. It require 4 - 6 years to first harvest, and the leaves can subsequently be harvested twice a year[418 ]. A monocarpic species - the plant lives for a number of years without flowering but dies once it does flower. However, it normally produces plenty of suckers during its life and these continue growing, taking about 10 - 15 years in a warm climate, considerably longer in colder ones, before flowering[11 ]. In Mexico the plant has a life cycle of 15 - 30 years[418 ]. This species is a sterile hybrid taxon[317 ].

Carbon Farming

• Agroforestry Services: Living fence  Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.
• Industrial Crop: Fiber  Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!
• Management: Standard  Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
• Minor Global Crop  These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.