| Inga | |
|---|---|
| Ice-cream-bean (Inga edulis) parts drawing | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Mimosoideae |
| Tribe: | Ingeae |
| Genus: | Inga |
| Species | |
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Hundreds, see List of Inga species |
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Inga is a genus of small tropical, tough-leaved, nitrogen-fixing trees[2] and shrubs, subfamily Mimosoideae. Inga's leaves are pinnate, and flowers are generally white. Many of the hundreds of species are used ornamentally.
Several related plants have been placed into this genus at one time, for example Yopo (Cohoba, Mopo, Nopo or Parica - Anadenanthera peregrina -, as Inga niopo).[3]
The seeds are covered with sweet white powder. The pulp covering the seeds are lightly fibrous and sweet; rich in minerals and it is edible in raw state. Popular knowledge indicates that its name originates from the Brazilian Native Languague meaning "wet" due to the fruit powder consistency. The tree usually blossoms twice a year.
Within the Inga genus there are around 300 species, most of them native and growing in the Amazon forest reagion although some species are also found in Mexico, Greater and Lesser Antilles and other countries in South America, being an exclusively neotropical genus. The trees are usually found by river and lake edges because their seeds are carried there by floods.
All Inga 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 notably Inga edulis (commonly known as "ice-cream-bean" or, in Spanish, "guama" or "guaba" or "paterna") often have edible pulp. The name derives from the fact that those of I. edulis resembles vanilla ice cream in flavour.
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Crop rotation techniques using species of Inga such as I. edulis have been developed to restore soil fertility, and thereby stem the tide of continual slashing and burning of the rainforest.[4][5] Much of the research was done by Mike Hands at Cambridge University over a 20 year period.[2]
Naturopathic Medicine suggests that it can be used
Data related to Inga (Fabaceae) at Wikispecies