Permaculture & food forest reference

Permaculture plant directory

Filter by forest layer, ecological function, climate, and guild role — drawn from the NZ orchard, herb, and native directories.

Permaculture design stacks productive species in layers — canopy, understorey, shrub, herbaceous, groundcover, root, and vine — while each plant performs multiple functions: food, nitrogen fixation, mineral cycling, insectary, shelter, and wildlife habitat. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren’s framework emphasises observation, closed-loop fertility, and guilds that support one another without external inputs.

Framework & references

Drawn from permaculture and food forest literature including Bill Mollison (Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual), David Holmgren (Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability), Toby Hemenway (Gaia’s Garden), Martin Crawford (Creating a Forest Garden), Ernst Götsch (syntropic overlap), Masanobu Fukuoka (natural farming), NZ Food Forests planting guides, King Seeds cultivation notes, and the Troppo NZ edible ecosystem master-index. Layer model follows standard temperate food forest stacking.

Canopy & emergent Long-lived fruit & nut trees

Understorey & shrub Berries, citrus, NZ natives

Herbaceous & root Veg, herbs, tubers, legumes

Groundcover & vine Living mulch, climbers, edges

Design zones (Mollison)

Zone 0 — home & daily needs Â· Zone 1 — intensive herbs & salad Â· Zone 2 — orchard & main crops Â· Zone 3 — food forest & grazing Â· Zone 4 — timber & forage Â· Zone 5 — wild / conservation. Most species below suit Zones 2–4 in NZ conditions.

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Common name	Scientific name	Layer	Functions	Climate	System	Guild role	Companions	References	Notes