Inga ingoides

(L.C. Rich.) Willd.

Warako-sa

FabaceaeFruitSeeds/NutsPotential hazards — see below

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(c) Christine Delbouis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit, Pod pulp, Seeds

The sweet white pulp surrounding the seeds in the pods is eaten, and the seeds themselves are also edible.

Known Hazards

I. edulis has been cultivated as a fruit 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 as trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitors contained in the seeds of I. edulis are destroyed through cooking.The taste is described as resembling that of vanilla ice cream. Some varieties even possess a slight cinnamon flavor. The seeds are edible only when cooked and have a taste similar to that of chickpeas. In Colombia, the arils are also used to prepare an alcoholic 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. The fruit ripens quickly and can only be kept for three to four days, limiting potential export opportunities, but refrigeration can extend shelf life to about three weeks.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. In grows in the coastal plain in wet or dry areas.

Amazon, Bolivia*, Brazil*, Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Lesser Antilles, North America, Peru*, Puerto Rico, South America, Suriname, Trinidad, USA, Venezuela, West Indies,

Countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Suriname, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, United States, Uruguay, St Vincent, Venezuela

How to Identify

A tree. It grows 10-25 m tall. The twigs are fairly thick. They are angular and have a reddish-brown covering when young. The leaves are compound. The leaflets are papery. They hang down when young. The flower heads are in the axils of leaves. They are short and dense. The fruit is a cylinder shaped pod. It is usually twisted. It is 35 cm long by 1 cm across. It has a yellow-brown covering. They have furrows along them. The seeds are in a sweet edible, white pulp.

How to Grow

Plants grow easily from seeds. Seeds germinate in 1-2 weeks given moisture and shade.

Medicinal Uses

I. edulis is widely used in native South American folk medicine. Decoctions of the leaves, bark, or root commonly are used as treatments for diarrhea, arthritis, and rheumatism. Crushed, boiled leaves are ingested to relieve coughing or applied to lip sores, possibly caused by herpes. Several studies have investigated I. edulis as a source of polyphenols for use as antioxidants and have shown promising results. .

Other Uses

There is a thin layer of dull brown heartwood surrounded by an oatmeal-coloured sapwood which has dark brown or black streaks. The wood is of medium density to moderately heavy, it splinters easily and is liable to check in drying. It is little used, other than as fuel.

Other Information

It is also cultivated.

Notes

There are 350 Inga species. Also as Mimosaceae.

Names & Synonyms

Coto chupa, Guama, Guamo cafetero, Guabilla, Inga, Pacae colorado, Pacai, Pacay, Warakosa

Feuilleea ingoides (Rich.) KuntzeInga galibica Duchass. & Walp.Inga meriana Splitg.Inga ornata KunthMimosa ingoides Rich.

References (14)

Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 1509
Bendezu, Y. F., 2018, Arboles nativos de lad Region Ucayali. Instituto Nacional de Innovacion Agraria. p 133
Flores, Y., 2018, Arboles nativos de la Region Ucayili. Estacion Experimental Agragia Pucallpa. Pucallpa Peru, 375 p. p 133
Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 321
ILDIS Legumes of the World http:www;ildis.org/Legume/Web
Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 440
Lopez-Diago, D. & Garcia, N., 2021, Wild edible fruits of Colombia. Biota ColomBiana 22 (2) p 38
Martin, F. W., et al, 1987, Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics. USDA Handbook 642 p 99
NYBG herbarium "edible"
Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 115
Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
Smith, N., et al, 2007, Amazon River Fruits. Flavors for Conservation. Missouri Botanical Gardens Press. p 124
Sp. pl. 4(2):1012. 1806 (As ingoides)
van Roosmalen, M.G.M., 1985, Fruits of the Guianan Flora. Utrecht Univ. & Wageningen Univ. p 238