Inga
Encyclopedia
Inga is a genus
of small tropical, tough-leaved, nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs, subfamily Mimosoideae. Ingas 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).
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.
In Natural Medicine it is commonly used for treating bronchites as sirup and for healing wounds as tea (both made from its leaves)
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.
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. Much of the research was done by Mike Hands at Cambridge University over a 20 year period.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of small tropical, tough-leaved, nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs, subfamily Mimosoideae. Ingas leaves are pinnate
Pinnate
Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
, and flowers are generally white. Many of the hundreds of species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are used ornamentally
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
.
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).
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.
In Natural Medicine it is commonly used for treating bronchites as sirup and for healing wounds as tea (both made from its leaves)
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
Inga edulis
Inga edulis is a fruit native to South America. It is widely grown, especially by indigenous Amazonians, for shade, food, timber, medicine, and production of the alcoholic beverage cachiri...
(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.
Inga alley cropping
Crop rotationCrop rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons.Crop rotation confers various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals...
techniques using species of Inga such as I. edulis
Inga edulis
Inga edulis is a fruit native to South America. It is widely grown, especially by indigenous Amazonians, for shade, food, timber, medicine, and production of the alcoholic beverage cachiri...
have been developed to restore soil fertility, and thereby stem the tide of continual slashing and burning
Slash and burn
Slash-and-burn is an agricultural technique which involves cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields. It is subsistence agriculture that typically uses little technology or other tools. It is typically part of shifting cultivation agriculture, and of transhumance livestock...
of the rainforest. Much of the research was done by Mike Hands at Cambridge University over a 20 year period.