Agroforestry Services: Windbreak  Fodder: Bank  Industrial Crop: Biomass  Management: Coppice  Other Systems: SRC  Regional Crop

Succeeds in most soils, including wet, ill-drained or intermittently flooded soils[1, 11], but prefers a damp, heavy soil in a sunny position[200]. Plants prefer an alkaline or neutral soil, rarely doing well in acid conditions[186]. Said to prefer a sandy soil[23, 199], plants are tolerant of dryish soils[11]. Plants are tolerant of salt water[199]. A very ornamental plant[1], it is cultivated for its branches which are used in basket making[11], there are some named varieties[131]. Plants are coppiced annually for this purpose[186] A very important food plant for the caterpillars of many butterfly species[30] and a good bee plant, providing an early source of nectar and pollen[11]. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200]. Plants should be put into their permanent positions as soon as possible[11]. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Carbon Farming

• Agroforestry Services: Windbreak  Linear plantings of trees and shrubs designed to enhance crop production, protect people and livestock and benefit soil and water conservation.
• Fodder: Bank  Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
• Industrial Crop: Biomass  Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels
• Management: Coppice  Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
• Other Systems: SRC  Short-rotation coppice.
• Regional Crop  These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.