Inga feuilleei

Inga feuilleei

The pacay or ice-cream bean tree, food inga, inga bean (Inga feuilleei DC. 1825) is an arboreal species belonging to the Fabaceae family.

Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Magnoliopsida,
Fabales Order,
Family Fabaceae,
Subfamily Caesalpinioideae,
Genus Inga,
Species I. feuilleei.
The terms are synonymous:
– Feuilleea feuilleei (DC.) Kuntze;
– Inga cumingiana Benth.;
– Inga pacai Oken;
– Inga reticulata Spreng..

Etymology –
The term Inga comes from the vernacular name of the Tupí people of South America.
The specific epithet feuilleei is in honor of the French astronomer, botanist and explorer Louis Éconches Feuillée (1660-1732).

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Inga feuilleei is a plant native to an area that includes western South America: from Colombia to northern Chile, where it can also be found at altitudes of up to 1,800 metres; the exact place of origin is not known, as it is a plant that has been cultivated since ancient times; however it is supposed to be the eastern side of the Andes. Pacay is abundant in the department of Lambayeque (Peru), in the orchards of Jayanca and El Puente, where it is also known by the name of “guaba”, a qualification also used in Central America. It is also abundant in the Cochabamba valleys and eastern Bolivia.
The natural habitat is not known since, as mentioned, it is a plant of remote cultivation.

Description –
Inga feuilleei is an evergreen tree that grows to over 30 meters in height but grows shorter in cultivation.
It has a very branched foliage and a trunk of 15-50 cm in diameter with light brown bark.
The leaves are paripinnate, with a length of 15-30 cm; they are found on a short petiole, composed of 3-5 pairs of oval to elliptical leaflets with pointed apex, 5-12 cm long and 2.5-5 cm wide, dark green in colour, with a nectariferous gland at the base; the rachis between the pairs of leaflets is winged.
The inflorescences are axillary spikes 4-15 cm long carrying numerous scented, scented, sessile hermaphroditic flowers (without peduncle), with a greenish tubular calyx 0.6-1.2 cm long, and a yellowish tubular corolla with 5 lobes, 2 cm long. -2.4 cm, and numerous (about 100) white stamens 4-4.5 cm long, fused at the base into a tube about 1.5 cm long.
The fruits are indehiscent legumes (which do not open spontaneously when ripe) with an almost quadrangular section, laterally flat and with slightly prominent edges, 20-50 cm long and about 2 cm wide, green or yellow-brown in colour.
Inside the legumes we find 15-20 blackish, shiny seeds, surrounded by a cottony aril with a sweet and refreshing flavour.

Cultivation –
Inga feuilleei is a large tree with an extensive canopy whose fruit is widely appreciated in South America, where the plant has been grown as a food crop and street tree since Inca times; it is still cultivated today for these purposes.
It is a plant of the hot, humid and lowland tropics, where it can also be found at altitudes of up to 1,800 metres.
It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but plants can tolerate 60 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
It prefers an average annual rainfall between 1,500 and 2,700 mm, but tolerates 1,000 – 3,000 mm.
It tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, including limestone and prefers a pH between 5 and 6.5, tolerating 4 -8.
It is a fast-growing species, cultivable in tropical and humid subtropical climate areas in full sun or filtered sunlight, furthermore the deep and robust root system helps to prevent erosion phenomena.
However, it cannot tolerate low temperatures, values of -1/-2 °C, even for a short period, damage the foliage.
In the Andean mountains the tree produces a crop twice a year.
This species has a symbiotic relationship with some soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen.
These trees are generally found near river banks, so they are watered year-round. Plants produce abundantly and provide sustenance in difficult times. A family can produce food without occupying agricultural land used for food crops, because they can grow in sites neglected by agriculture. They grow quickly, tolerate diverse soils, and are resistant to disease and fire. These trees are easy to plant, spread their shade quickly and provide fruit for years. The fruits of the trees are quite edible and are often consumed by people in the regions where this fruit grows. In Mexico, coffee plantation workers can double their annual salary by selling the tree pods used to shade the coffee plants.
Reproduction occurs easily by seed which has a short germination period, about two weeks, and which often germinates within the legume, more difficult by semi-woody cutting and layering.

Customs and Traditions –
Inga feuilleei is a plant known by various common names; among these are those of: ice-cream beans, food inga, inga bean (English); pois sucre (French); ingá cipo, pacae, pacay, rabo de mico (Portuguese – Brazil); pa’qay, paccai (Quechua); guama, guamo, pacae, pacae de costa, pacae de Lima, pacay, pacay de Perú (Spanish).
In Central America the seeds are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. In Mexico, the seeds are roasted and sold outside theaters to moviegoers. In Costa Rica, the fruit is also known as Guaba and is associated with good luck.
In English they were called “ice-cream beans” due to the sweet flavor and soft texture of the pulp. Naturally growing Inga trees produce abundant root nodules, which fix nitrogen, thus adding it to the soil rather than taking it away, thus benefiting the land by increasing fertility levels.
This plant may have an interesting future use. They are multi-purpose trees and are potentially valuable additions to gardens, orchards, fields, hedgerows or roadside wastelands in warmer parts of the world. They also have exceptional prospects as urban trees for much of the tropics. They are a source of snacks for the owners and money for the enterprising.
It is often used, particularly in Peru, as a shade tree in parks and gardens, or as street trees, as well as to shade coffee plantations.
The aril, mostly appreciated by children, is also used to prepare an alcoholic drink, and the seeds in some places are consumed cooked, such as in Mexico, where they are roasted.
The leaves and seeds, with their high protein content, are used as fodder for livestock.
Wood is used in construction and to make furniture, boxes and handicrafts and locally as fuel.

Preparation Method –
Inga feuilleei is a plant with great food potential but also for ornamental and agroforestry uses.
The long pod contains a white, frothy, sugar-rich pulp surrounding the seeds; this is widely consumed as a snack in Peru and Ecuador.
Wood of the Inga species is generally attractive, but has a coarse texture, is susceptible to attack by drywood termites, and is not durable in the soil.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
– https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/246392091/original.jpeg
– https://sweetgum.nybg.org/images3/2201/153/02717645.jpg

Attention: Pharmaceutical applications and food uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not represent in any way a medical prescription; we therefore decline any responsibility for their use for healing, aesthetic or food purposes.