Inga fastuosa
(Jacq.) Willd.
Guaba venezolana, Proud inga
Wikimedia Commons - Veronidae
Wikimedia Commons - Veronidae
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit - aril, Pod pulp
Although we have no specific information for this species, many members of this genus produce a sweet-tasting edible pulp around the seeds. The seedpod is up to 28cm long and 4cm wide.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant.
Amazon, Bolivia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Peru, Puerto Rico, South America, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, West Indies,
How to Identify
A small tree. It grows 10 m tall. The trunk is short and branched and 15 cm across. The bark is smooth and brown with small cracks. The crown is spreading. The twigs and pods have reddish hairs. The leaves are large and compound. They are They are 15-30 cm long. There can be up to 4 or 5 pairs of leaflets along the stalk. These are narrowly oval and shiny. The leaflets have winged stalks. The flowers are large and greenish white. They do not have stalks and occur along an axis 15 cm long. The fruit are large brown pods 25-40 cm long and 6 cm wide and thick and flat.
How to Grow
Plants grow easily from seeds. Seeds germinate in 1-2 weeks given moisture and shade.
Other Uses
The wood of Inga species is generally attractive, but it has a coarse texture, is susceptible to attack by dry-wood termites and is not durable in the soil. When grown as a shade tree, the plant is pruned on a regular basis, and these prunings are often burned as a fuel. The tree is grown to provide shade in coffee plantations in northern S. America. Since the roots fix atmospheric nitrogen, the plant also helps to fertilize the soil. Inga species generally have a number of factors that make them popular for use as shade trees in coffee and cacao plantations:- they grow quickly and so soon make an effecte shade; they respond well to drastic pruning and so are easy to keep within the required size and shade levels; they promote and maintain soil fertility; they are effective soil stabilizers.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Inga fastuosa is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae. It is found in Brazil, the Caribbean, and Venezuela.
Production
The tree grows rapidly.
Notes
It is used as shade for coffee.
Names & Synonyms
Hairy pois doux, Guaba peluda, Guamacho peludo, Guama venezolana, Guamo cajeto, Guamo peludo, Huapo shimbillo
References (6)
- Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 321
- Kew Plants of the World On line
- Little, E. L., et al, 1974, Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. USDA Handbook 449. Forestry Service. p 260
- Lopez-Diago, D. & Garcia, N., 2021, Wild edible fruits of Colombia. Biota ColomBiana 22 (2) p 38
- Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
- Torre, de la, L., et al, 2008, Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador. Herbario QCA. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. p 344
