Inga feuilleei
DC.
Fabaceae
Inga cumingiana Benth.
Inga feuillei DC.
Common Name: Pacay
The white seed coating is a sweet treat
Photograph by: Dick Culbert
General Information
Pacay is a large tree with a spreading crown that can grow 18 metres or more tall[
377- Title
- Trade Winds Fruit
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/index.htm
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- The on-line catalogue of a company selling seeds. Gives descriptions, photos and uses of a very wide range of fruit and other food-producing plants plus ornamentals.
].
The fruit is widely appreciated in S. America, where the plant has been cultivated as a food crop and street tree since the time of the Incas - it is still grown for these purposes today[
]. It is the only member of the genus that is cultivated for its seedpods outside the natural range of the genus[
408- Title
- Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 53
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- Year
- 1966
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains an excellent treament of a section of the genus Inga. An excellent botanical publication, available for download from the Internet.
]. The plant is unknown as a wild tree[
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
408- Title
- Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 53
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- Year
- 1966
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains an excellent treament of a section of the genus Inga. An excellent botanical publication, available for download from the Internet.
Range
Western S. America - Colombia to northern Chile.
Habitat
Not known in a truly wild location
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Tree |
| Height | 15.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Cultivated |
Cultivation Details
A plant of the hot, humid, lowland tropics, where it can also be found at elevations up to 1,800 metres[
335- Title
- Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory
- Publication
-
- Author
- Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M.
- Publisher
- U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
- Year
- 1987
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics.
,
]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 28°c, but can tolerate 18 - 33°c[
]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 2,700mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 3,000mm[
].
Tolerant of a range of soil conditions, including limestone[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.5, tolerating 4 -8[
].
In the Andean mountains the tree produces a crop twice a year[
].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[
755- Title
- Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en
- Publisher
- United States Department of Agriculture
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
].
Edible Uses
The long seedpod contains a white, sugar-rich, frothy pulp surrounding the seeds[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. It is widely eaten as a snack in Peru and Ecuador[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
Medicinal
None known
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[
1309- Title
- The Leguminosae; A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation
- Publication
-
- Author
- Allen O.N.; Allen E.K.
- Publisher
- University of Wisconsin
- Year
- 1981
- ISBN
- 0-333-32221-5
- Description
- An amazing and comprehensive work, giving a brief guide to the many genera of the family Fabaceae and also the principle uses of the genus.
].
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe and before it dries out[
377- Title
- Trade Winds Fruit
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/index.htm
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- The on-line catalogue of a company selling seeds. Gives descriptions, photos and uses of a very wide range of fruit and other food-producing plants plus ornamentals.
].
Greenwood cuttings.
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
