Inga oerstediana
Benth.
Oersted inga
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(c) Pedro Blanco, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Pedro Blanco, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
Source: WikipediaInga oerstediana is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae. It was described by English botanist George Bentham. It can be found in Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago.
Description
A tree. The leaves have leaflets in 3 to 5 pairs. The leaf stalk has wings. There are red hairs on the stalk and veins. The fruit are cylinder shaped pods. These are 8-32 cm long.
Edible Uses
Inga oerstediana is used to provide shade in coffee plantations in Central America. The pulp surrounding the seeds is sweet and edible. The wood of Inga oerstediana is usable but is vulnerable to dry wood termites and is not durable in soil.
Traditional Uses
The aril or fleshy layer around the seeds is eaten raw.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows well in denuded acidic soils. It grows in rainforest and along rivers. It grows in the humid lowlands.
Where It Grows
Amazon, Andes, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean, Central America, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Panama, Peru, South America, Venezuela,
Cultivation
Plants grow easily from fresh 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. The wood is used for fuel. 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 widely grown to provide shade in coffee and cacoa plantations in Central America. 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.
Other Information
It is sold in local markets.
Notes
Also as Mimosaceae.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Awnatay, Barizo pakay, Cuajinquil peludo, Cushin, Gontokan, Guaba musga, Guabilla, Guama pachona, Guavo, Jaquinicuil, Kontakawe, Laricaro de bejuco, Unjinga fino
References (17)
- Bortolotto, I. M., et al, 2018, Lista preliminar das plantas alimenticias nativas de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. Iheringia, Serie Botanica, Porto Alegre, 73 (supl.):101-116
- Condit, R., et al, 2011, Trees of Panama and Costa Rica. Princeton Field Guides. p 198
- Duke, J. A., Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary (As Inga minutula)
- Fern, K., 2012, Tropical Species Database http://theferns.info/tropical/
- Grandtner, M. M., 2008, World Dictionary of Trees. Wood and Forest Science Department. Laval University, Quebec, Qc Canada. (Internet database http://www.wdt.qc.ca)
Show all 17 references Hide references
- Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 324
- 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 442 (Also as Inga oerstediana)
- Lopez-Diago, D. & Garcia, N., 2021, Wild edible fruits of Colombia. Biota ColomBiana 22 (2) p 38
- Philips, O., 1992, The potential for harvesting fruits in tropical rainforests: new data from Amazonian Peru. Biodiversity and Conservation 2, 18-38
- 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.
- Torre, de la, L., et al, 2008, Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador. Herbario QCA. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. p 346
- Van den Eynden, V., et al, 2003, Wild Foods from South Ecuador. Economic Botany 57(4): 576-603
- Van den Eynden, V., 2004, Use and management of edible non-crop plants in southern Ecuador, Ph D dissertation. p 108
- Van den Eynden, V., et al, 2004, Regional and ecological variations of wild edible plants in southern Ecuador. Lyonia. 7(2)
- Vasquez, R. and Gentry, A. H., 1989, Use and Misuse of Forest-harvested Fruits in the Iquitos Area. Conservation Biology 3(4): 350f (As Inga minutula)
