Common Name:

General Information

Inga alba is a tree with a heavy rounded crown growing up to 33 metres tall, but usually less than 30 metres. The bole is unbuttressed but often fluted, varying from poor to moderately good in form. It can be unbranched for up to 15 metres and is usually 40 - 50cm in diameter, though exceptionally to 75cm[].
The tree is harvested from the wild as a local source of food, medicines and timber. The timber is sometimes traded, and the is sometimes cultivated for the edible flesh around the seed[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; C. America - Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico.

Habitat

A canopy tree in rain, marsh, and high savannah forests, found in both primary and secondary formations[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	25.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

There are conflicting reports on whether or not this tree has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, so it is unclear as to whether this tree fixes atmospheric nitrogen[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. The flesh around the seed is eaten[]. Sweet and tasty[]. The seedpods are up to 20cm long and almost 2cm wide, containing about 10 seeds[].

Medicinal

The bark is chewed or used in a decoction as a treatment for dysentery, and is also used as a treatment for female sterility[].
The bark is used externally as a wash or poultice to treat a range of skin problems including ulcers, ant bites, leishmaniasis, swelling, sores, wounds and cuts[]. It is grated and then pressed as a remedy to soothe mouth sores of infants[].
The inner bark is put on abscesses to draw out pus[].

A decoction of the leaves is used as a wash for fevers[]

Chemical analysis of the bark has shown possible antimicrobial activity[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is a pale reddish-brown to reddish-white, occasionally streaked with darker colours; it is not demarcated from the whitish sapwood. The texture is coarse; the grain straight to interlocked, sometimes wavy; growth rings are generally rather distinct; lustrous; and there is no distinctive taste or odour once seasoned. The wood is moderately heavy, moderately hard, strong, not very durable. It seasons fairly quickly, with only a slight rish of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable to stable in service. It is easy to work with ordinary tools; finishes to a smooth surface though there is a tendency to woolliness; nailing and screwing are good; gluing is correct. The timber has been recommended for utility plywood, flooring, sheathing, general construction, carpentry, interior woodwork, furniture, boxes and crates, and light cabinet making[, ].

Propagation

Seed -

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