inga edulis

• miracle
• products
• fruit
• legume
• canopy layer
• shader
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• type: fast growing nitrogen-fixing tropical tree
• properties
  • root: deep taproot with extensive lateral roots and nitrogen-fixing nodules
  • stem: upright, branching, semi-softwood when young, becoming sturdy with age
  • leaf: alternate, pinnately compound with 4–6 pairs of leaflets, elliptical with pointed tips
    • leaf-length:: 20–35 cm (compound leaf)
  • flower: cream-white, fuzzy, brush-like, fragrant, clustered in axillary inflorescences
  • fruit: long, cylindrical pods (30–100 cm) with pulpy edible white aril surrounding seeds
  • bark: thin, light gray-brown, slightly fissured on mature trees
  • timber: light, low-density, used for firewood and local construction
  • environment:: thrives in humid tropical climates with rich soils, moderate shade tolerance, and year-round rainfall
    • climate:: humid lowland tropics, tolerates periodic drought and temporary flooding
      • sun:: 600–900 W/m²
      • no-sun-days:: 10–15 days
      • water:: 1500–3500 mm/year
      • no-water-days:: 20–30 days
      • humidity:: 70–95 %
      • fog-resistance:: 10–15 days
      • max-temp:: 40 °C
      • optimal-temp:: 22–30 °C
      • min-temp:: 5 °C
      • wind-damage:: cold-dry, strong-salty
    • soil:: well-drained fertile soils with good organic matter, tolerates moderate acidity and temporary flooding
      • soil-ph:: 5.0–6.8
      • soi-type::loamy , clay-loam, alluvial
    • spacing:: 5–10 m depending on use (orchard vs. agroforestry canopy)
      • good-neighbors:: cacao, banana, cassava, piper, ananas
      • bad-neighbors:: eucalyptus, casuarina
      • max-height:: 15 m
      • max-spread:: 12 m
  • lifecycle
    • longevity:: 30–40 years
    • germination:: seeds germinate rapidly in 3–10 days, do not store well (recalcitrant)
    • seedling:: fast growing, reaches 1–2 meters in the first year under moist conditions
    • mature:: begins fruiting in 3–5 years, continues annually with high productivity under good care
    • death:: declines with water stress or fungal root issues, usually managed as part of successional systems
  • features: nitrogen-fixers, edible fruit, shade tree, pollinator-friendly, soil improver
  • layer: canopy, sub-canopy, successional
  • products: fresh fruit pulp, seed flour, shade mulch, firewood, green-manure, fodder, pollinator nectar
  • chemical compounds

compounds in fruit

compound	amount per 100 g
------------------------------------------------	-------------------------------
ascorbic acid	-
thiamine	-
riboflavin	-
linoleic acid	-
oleic acid	-
arginine	-
lysine	-
glutamic acid	-
glucose	-
fructose	-
sucrose	-
total sugars	~25 g
total phenolics (gallic acid eq.)	3.86–33.4 mg GAE
total flavonoids (quercetin eq.)	1.75–19.4 mg QE
tannins	-
citric acid	~10.4 mg/g
protein (pulp)	1.0 g
protein (seed)	10.7 g
lipids (pulp)	0.1 g
lipids (seed)	0.7 g
carbohydrates (pulp)	15.5 g
carbohydrates (seed)	24.0 g
dietary fiber (pulp)	1.2 g
dietary fiber (seed)	1.6 g

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compounds in seed

compound	amount per 100 g
--------------------------------------------------	-------------------------------
linoleic acid	-
oleic acid	-
palmitic acid	-
stearic acid	-
α-linolenic acid	-
γ-linolenic acid	-
eicosapentaenoic acid	-
tocopherols (β‑tocopherol, δ‑tocopherol)	-
p‑hydroxybenzoic acid	-
4‑methoxybenzoic acid	-
p‑methoxycinnamic acid	-
ferulic acid	-
caffeic acid	-
anthocyanins	-
protein	~20.1 g
carbohydrates	~58 g
plant part	compound
----------------	-------------------------------------------------
leaves	epicatechin
leaves	apigenin c-di-hexoside
leaves	myricetin-o-hexose-deoxyhexose
leaves	myricetin-o-deoxyhexose
leaves	vicenin-2
leaves	gallic acid
leaves	catechin
leaves	epicatechin
leaves	myricetin-3-rhamnopyranoside
leaves	quercetin-3-glucopyranoside
leaves	quercetin-3-rhamnopyranoside
leaves	delphinidin-3-glycoside (anthocyanin)
leaves	other acylated anthocyanins
leaves & bark	lupeol
leaves & bark	α-amirin
leaves & bark	olean-18-ene acid (oleanolic-type triterpene)
leaves & bark	frideline
leaves & bark	stigmasterol
leaves & bark	prenol
leaves & bark	α-tocopherol
leaves & bark	24-methylenecycloartan-3-one
leaves & bark	hexadecanoic acid methyl ester
leaves & bark	hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester
leaves & bark	octadecanoic acid methyl ester
leaves & bark	phytol

• operations
  • propagate plants: grown from seed immediately after harvest, can also propagate by stake or cutting in humid, protected beds
  • maintenance: prune to manage height and shape, especially in agroforestry systems, coppices well, add mulch and compost annually
  • harvest:
    • fruit: harvested when pods mature and become slightly soft, aril is eaten fresh or processed
    • seed: extracted from pulp, dried for flour or animal feed
    • leaves: used as mulch or fodder, collected manually
    • wood: harvested from prunings or old trees for firewood and biochar

Age of tree (years)	Trees per ha	Pruning (%)	Spacing (m)	DM of leaves (kg/tree)	DM of wood (kg/tree)	DM of leaves (Mg/ha)	DM of wood (Mg/ha)	Total above-ground biomass (Mg/ha)
---------------------	--------------	-------------	-------------	------------------------	----------------------	----------------------	--------------------	-----------------------------------
1	5000	0	1 × 2	0.4	0.3	2.10	1.65	3.75
2	2500	50	2 × 2	1.1	2.4	2.80	6.08	8.88
3	1250	75	2 × 4	3.0	17.7	3.78	22.11	25.89
4	625	88	4 × 4	4.3	35.9	2.69	22.43	25.12
5	313	94	4 × 8	5.8	65.4	1.82	20.48	22.29
6	156	97	8 × 8	6.1	73.0	0.95	11.39	12.34

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