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Sri Lanka's wildlife encyclopedia

Ice-Cream-Bean

Inga edulis

Least concern

Ice-Cream-Bean
Burkhard Mücke · CC BY-SA 4.0

Overview

Inga edulis, known as ice-cream bean, paterna, whitey, padoo, cushín, joaquiniquil, cuaniquil guama, or guaba, is a fruit native to Central and South America. It is in the mimosoid tribe of the legume family Fabaceae. It is widely grown, especially by Indigenous Amazonians, for shade, food, timber, medicines, and production of the alcoholic beverage cachiri. It is popular in Peru, Ecuador, Pernambuco-Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Costa Rica and Colombia. The taxonomic generic name Inga is derived from its name with the Tupí people of South America (ingá) while the specific name edulis is Latin for "edible". The common name "ice-cream bean" alludes to the sweet flavor and smooth texture of the pulp.

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Sources

  1. Wikipedia (EN): Inga edulis — CC BY-SA 4.0