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''Inga'' is a genus of small tropical, tough-leaved, nitrogen-fixing treesElkan, Daniel. "Slash-and-burn farming has become a major threat to the world's rainforest" '' The Guardian'' 21 April 2004 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 – ''
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", "guaba", "guaba de bejuco" or "paterna" depending on the country or region) often have edible pulp. The name derives from the fact that those of ''I. edulis'' resembles vanilla ice cream in flavour.
In Ecuador, ''Inga edulis'' is known as "guaba de bejuco" and, the other popular species there, '' Inga spectabilis''
, as "guaba de machete".
plain text
Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q290354 Fabaceae genera Taxa named by Philip Miller
''Inga'' is a genus of small tropical, tough-leaved, nitrogen-fixing treesElkan, Daniel. "Slash-and-burn farming has become a major threat to the world's rainforest" '' The Guardian'' 21 April 2004 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
''Anadenanthera peregrina'', also known as yopo, jopo, cohoba, parica or calcium tree, is a perennial tree of the genus ''Anadenanthera'' native to the Caribbean and South America. It grows up to tall, and has a horny bark. Its flowers grow ...
'' – as ''Inga niopo'').
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 the Tupi Tupi may refer to:
* Tupi people of Brazil
* Tupi or Tupian languages, spoken in South America
** Tupi language, an extinct Tupian language spoken by the Tupi people
* Tupi oil field off the coast of Brazil
* Tupi Paulista, a Brazilian municipalit ...
word ''in-gá'' meaning "soaked", due to the fruit powder consistency. The tree usually blooms twice a year.
Within the ''Inga'' 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 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", "guaba", "guaba de bejuco" or "paterna" depending on the country or region) often have edible pulp. The name derives from the fact that those of ''I. edulis'' resembles vanilla ice cream in flavour.
In Ecuador, ''Inga edulis'' is known as "guaba de bejuco" and, the other popular species there, '' Inga spectabilis''
, as "guaba de machete".
Use in agroforestry
Alley cropping
Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland. Trees produce a wide range of useful and marketable products from fruits/nuts, medicines, wood products, etc. This intentional ...
techniques using species of ''Inga'' have been developed to restore soil fertility
Soil fertility refers to the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth, i.e. to provide plant habitat and result in sustained and consistent yields of high quality.
, and thereby stem the tide of continual slashing and burning
Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed vegeta ...
of the rainforest. Species which have proven effective for alley cropping include '' Inga edulis'' and '' Inga oerstediana''. Much of the research was done by Mike Hands at Cambridge University over a 20-year period. ''Inga'' species are also commonly used as shade trees for coffee, cocoa
Cocoa may refer to:
Chocolate
* Chocolate
* ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree
* Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao''
* Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...
, and tea.
Other uses
It is often used as lumber in construction and furniture making.See also
* List of ''Inga'' speciesReferences
External links
* * * ''I. Edulis'' at FACT Neplain text
Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q290354 Fabaceae genera Taxa named by Philip Miller