| Inga edulis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pod and seeds | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Inga |
| Species: | I. edulis |
| Binomial name | |
| Inga edulis | |
| Synonyms | |
See text | |
Inga edulis, known asice-cream bean,ice-cream-bean,joaquiniquil,cuaniquil (both fromNahuatl:cuahuxinicuile combiningcuahuitl "tree";icxitl "feet" andnecuilli "crooked"[2])guama orguaba, is a fruit native toSouth America. It is in themimosoid tribe of the legume familyFabaceae.[3] It is widely grown, especially byIndigenous Amazonians, for shade, food, timber, medicine, and production of the alcoholic beveragecachiri. It is popular inPeru,Ecuador,Pernambuco-Brazil,Venezuela, Guyana andColombia.[4] The taxonomic nameInga is derived from its name with theTupí people of South America (ingá[5]) while the species nameedulis is Latin for "edible". The common name "ice-cream bean" alludes to the sweet flavor and smooth texture of the pulp.
Mature trees ofInga edulis reach 30 m (98 ft) high and 60 cm (2.0 ft) diameter at breast height, usually branching from below 3 m (9.8 ft). The branches form a broad, flat, moderately dense canopy.Inga edulis can be evergreen in tropical regions or deciduous when planted in colder regions. The tree has a pale grey coloured trunk. The stems and young twigs can be sparsely to densely haired. The leaves are alternate, evenlypinnate, 10–30 cm long with 4–6 pairs of opposite, dark-green, membranous, slightly pubescent, oval leaflets. The terminal leaflets can grow up to 18 cm long by 11 cm wide in comparison to the basal ones. Extrafloralnectaries are placed onpetioles andstipules can be either inconspicuous, absent, or caducus.[6]
Inga species are in symbiosis with ants (e.g.,Pheidole spp.), which get the nectar of the extrafloral nectaries. In exchange the ants will patrol over the Inga plant to protect it againstherbivores. There are certain insects such asRiodinid caterpillars which excrete sugary honeydew from their tentacle nectaries. The ants will form a symbiosis with the caterpillars by letting them feed on the tree and in favour of getting sugary honeydew from them.[7] Flowers are fragrant, sessile, pentamerous and are arranged in dense axillary spikes. The flower has a calyx tube with five puberulent, striate lobes,corolla with five silky, villous petals. These are around 14–20 mm long and contain numerous whitestamens. The fruits are longitudinally ribbed, cylindrical indehiscentleguminous pods which can be straight, curved or often spirally twisted up. They are pendant and up to 1 m long and yellowish brown to greenly coloured. The amount of ovoid seeds can vary from 10 to 20, which are purplish-black to olive colored. These are embedded in the sweet, cottony, whitearillus which gives it the name Icecream bean, since they taste sweet.[6]
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This plant has a convoluted history ofsynonymy withInga vera. The plants discussed under that name byBrenan andKunth are actuallyI. edulis, whereas that based on the writings ofCarl Ludwig Willdenow refers to the actualI. vera.Inga edulis in works referring back to authorities other thanvon Martius usually refers toInga feuilleei.[9]
Synonyms ofInga edulisMart.:
The natural distribution ofInga edulis spreads fromCentral toSouth America and ranges from subtropical dry to tropical wet conditions.[12] It can be found at elevations from sea level up to 2200 m.Inga edulis grows best when mean annual daytime temperature ranges from 23 to 30 °C. However, it can tolerate 18–35 °C. During the resting period mature trees can survive −2 °C while young plants are killed at 0 °C. Preferredannual precipitation ranges from 1200 to 2500 mm but 640 to 4000 mm of annual precipitation can be tolerated also.Inga edulis can be grown on a widely varying range of soil conditions. It prefers asoil pH of 5–6.5 but can also grow in very strongly acidic soil down to a pH of 4.5 or moderately alkaline conditions up to pH 8.[13] The natural habitat ofInga edulis includes margins of large rivers like theAmazon, thickets below high water line and wooded swamps.[12] Therefore, the tree tolerates temporarily waterlogged soils for 2–3 months each year. However, it can also tolerate drought seasons up to 6 months.[14] FurtherInga edulis can cope with heavy soils or slope fairly well.[12] In terms of soil fertility,Inga edulis is not only unpretentious but has the potential to improvesoil quality. As aleguminous tree,Inga edulis can compensate for nutrient depleted soils byfixing nitrogen with its root nodules. Ammonium and nitrates found in soil typically result in nodulation reduction.Inga edulis is an exception, as its nodules increase in size when ammonium levels are at 5 mM. Nitrate on the other hand did not benefitInga edulis and continued to show properties that prevented nodulation. Additionally to nitrogen,Inga edulis is reported to significantly increase the extractablePhosphorus content in the soil and thus further ameliorates degraded soils.[15]
Inga edulis is widely cultivated inagroforestry systems in itsneotropical dispersal area. This form of cultivation, often associated withcoffee orcocoa culture, is widely known sincepre-Columbian times.[16]Germination ofInga edulis seeds is fairly easy as the seeds are recalcitrant and often germinate already in the pod. However, seeds lose their ability to germinate after two weeks of storage.[14] Direct sowing of the seeds is possible, but the establishment of seedlings with already a certain height can decreasecompetition with noxious weeds and thus increase growth.[17] Further, the inoculation withrhizobia andmycorrhizal fungi in depleted soils is recommended to promote growth.[18] These inoculi can easily be produced by collecting soil, nodules and fine roots from mature, nodulated inga edulis stands.[12]Inga edulis seems to be very resistant to pests and diseases. Minor damages can result of fungal attacks in the seedling stage. MatureInga edulis can be defoliated byLepidoptera larvae. Also, fruit fly larvae often damage the seed testa. InEcuador, Inga edulis is specially susceptible tomistletoe infestations.[14]
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 251 kJ (60 kcal) | ||||||
15.5 g | |||||||
| Dietary fiber | 1.2 g | ||||||
0.1 g | |||||||
1.0 g | |||||||
| |||||||
| †Percentages estimated usingUS recommendations for adults,[19] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation fromthe National Academies.[20] | |||||||
Food crop
Inga edulis has been cultivated as afruit tree for millennia and is widely sold on the local South American marketplace, mainly for the sweet, succulent pulp surrounding the seeds. The white pulp (aril) is consumed raw as a sweet snack, though it is less nutritious than the seeds. Toxic compounds such astrypsin andchymotrypsin inhibitors contained in the seeds ofInga edulis are destroyed through cooking.[6]
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 494 kJ (118 kcal) | ||||||
24.0 g | |||||||
| Dietary fiber | 1.6 g | ||||||
0.7 g | |||||||
10.7 g | |||||||
| |||||||
| †Percentages estimated usingUS recommendations for adults,[19] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation fromthe National Academies.[20] | |||||||
The taste is described as resembling that ofvanilla ice cream.[21] Some varieties even possess a slight cinnamon flavor.[22][14] The seeds are only edible when cooked and have a taste similar to that ofchickpeas.[citation needed]
InColombia thearils are also used to prepare analcoholic beverage called cachiri for a festival of the same name. The native women chew the arils and spit the mixture into a vat, where it is left to ferment.[12][21] The fruit ripens quickly and can only be kept for three to four days, limiting potential export opportunities. However, refrigeration can extendshelf life to about three weeks.[23]
Use in agroforestry systems
Due to its rapid growth and ability to improve soil properties,Inga edulis has found widespread use in tropicalagroforestry. Most notably,Inga alley cropping is used as an alternative toslash and burn cultivation. It is also a popular shade tree forcoffee,cocoa andtea plantations. One important reason for this is that in comparison to othershade tree speciesInga edulis retains its leaves in the dry season.[23][14] Cuttings and leaves also used as mulch and animal fodder.[14] The wood is sometimes used as timber and for fuel, its popularity as a source of firewood stemming from its high calorific value and weak smoke production.[22]
Despite its rapid growth and significant potential to improve soils in agroforestry systems,Inga edulis has not been the object of any improved breeding program.[23] However, the plant has been shown to exhibit strongintrogression withInga ingoides in species contact areas. This could allow for selection of hybrids via interspecifichybridization to further increase yield and flood tolerance of the crop.[24]
Medicinal uses
Inga edulis is widely used in native South American folk medicine.Decoctions of the leaves, bark or root commonly are utilized as treatments for diarrhea, arthritis and rheumatism.[12] Crushed, boiled leaves are ingested to relieve coughing or applied to lip sores, possibly caused byherpes.[22][6] Several studies have investigatedInga edulis as a source ofpolyphenols for use asantioxidants and have shown promising results.[25][26][27][28] However, further studies are necessary to test and develop medical applications.
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