| Inga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ice-cream-bean (Inga edulis) parts drawing | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Inga Mill. |
| Type species | |
| Inga vera Willd. | |
| Species | |
Hundreds, seeList of Inga species | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Inga is agenus of small tropical, tough-leaved,nitrogen-fixing trees[2] and shrubs, subfamily Mimosoideae.Inga's leaves arepinnate, and flowers are generally white. Many of the hundreds ofspecies are usedornamentally.
Several related plants have been placed into this genus at one time, for example Yopo (Cohoba, Mopo, Nopo or Parica –Anadenanthera peregrina – asInga niopo).[3]
The seeds are covered with sweet white powder. The pulp covering the seeds is lightly fibrous and sweet, and rich in minerals; it is edible in the raw state. The tree's name originates from theTupi wordin-gá meaning "soaked", due to the fruit powder consistency.[4] The tree usually blooms twice a year.
Within theInga genus there are around 300 species, most of them native and growing in the Amazon forest region although some species are also found in Mexico,Greater andLesser Antilles and other countries inSouth America, being an exclusively neotropical genus. The trees are usually found by river and lake edges because their seeds are carried there by floods.
AllInga species produce their seeds in "bean-like" pods and some can reach up to 1 m long, in general the pods are 10–30 cm long.
Trees can reach up to 15 metres and they are widely used for producing shade over coffee plants. The plant benefits from well drained soil. The flowers are white with some green and the tree can produce fruits almost all year long.
Inga species, most notablyInga edulis (commonly known as "ice-cream-bean" or, inSpanish,guama,guaba,guaba de bejuco orpaterna depending on the country or region) often have edible pulp. The name derives from the fact that those ofI. edulis resembles vanilla ice cream in flavour.
In Ecuador,Inga edulis is known asguaba de bejuco and, the other popular species there,Inga spectabilis, asguaba de machete.[5]
Alley cropping techniques using species ofInga have been developed to restoresoil fertility, and thereby stem the tide of continualslashing and burning of the rainforest.[6][7] Species which have proven effective for alley cropping includeInga edulis andInga oerstediana. Much of the research was done by Mike Hands at Cambridge University over a 20-year period.[2]Inga species are also commonly used asshade trees forcoffee,cocoa, andtea.[8]
Its fruit is also prized for its sweet, vanilla flavored white pulp. It is often used as lumber in construction and furniture making.[9]
Media related toInga (Fabaceae) at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toInga (Fabaceae) at Wikispecies