Family: MIMOSACEAE
The ice cream bean (Inga edulis) is an evergreen tree native to the Neo - tropics (Central and South America). It grows to a height of 18 m and a width of 4 m.
The tree has root associates which fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to the tree. The plant can be used as a nurse crop. It is unusual to find a nurse species with an edible bean. The beans can grow to considerable size. The white sugar - rich pulp is spooned from around the seeds of the opened bean and eaten fresh. It is said to have a sweet flavour and smooth texture not unlike that of ice cream.
In Mexico, foliage is cut and fed to livestock. In Central America and the West Indies it is used as a shade plant for coffee and cacao plantations. The tree has been used in alley cropping in Chile, and is used throughout South America as a street tree.
The timber is moderately heavy and is used for furniture, boxes and crates. The wood is not suited to external use as it breaks down quickly. It is also utilised for charcoal production.
There are more than 400 different species of Inga and it appears that most of them are edible although most are not conditioned to the cool extremes of the Andes. Like most plants of the Andes, the ice cream bean seems able to withstand a large range of conditions.