Inga cinnamomea

Inga cinnamomea is an evergreen tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. Its common names include inga assu and inga acu. It comes from tropical South America, from Colombia to Bolivia. Its range also includes Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, French Guiana and Suriname. It grows in wet tropical forests on river floodplains. It occurs in both old forest and newer regrowth.

Garden references give a height and spread of 39 feet [12 metres]. Other accounts report trees reaching 82 feet [25 metres] tall. The crown is open, rather than dense and closed. The trunk is round in section. It can reach about 2 feet [0.6 metres] across. This tree grows fast and keeps its leaves year-round. People gather its fruit from wild trees. They also grow it as a crop in Brazil's Amazon region.

The fruit is a legume, or pod, with large seeds. Pods reach about 1 foot [0.3 metres] in length. They can measure 0.26 feet [0.08 metres] across. Each pod holds eight to fifteen seeds. A thick, white aril surrounds each seed. This sweet flesh is the part people eat raw. The sources report no known hazards for the species. That does not establish the safety of every plant part. They list no known medicinal uses.

Grow this tree in full sun with moist soil. It accepts sandy, loamy and clay soils with good drainage. It tolerates mildly acid, neutral and mildly alkaline conditions. Trees can also cope with brief periods of flooded soil. PFAF lists USDA hardiness zones 10–12. Sow ripe seed promptly, using a partly shaded nursery bed. Fresh seed often sprouts within ten to twenty days. Reported germination rates approach one hundred percent. Boring ants often infest the branches.

Growers use the tree to shade plantation crops. They sometimes retain trees when clearing the surrounding forest. Its fast growth and pioneer habit offer value in woodland restoration. Root bacteria form nodules that fix nitrogen from the air. This supports the tree and may benefit nearby plants. The wood is light, coarse and hard to cut. It has little resistance to decay. Uses include boxes, indoor screens, scaffolding and short-lived structures. People also burn the wood as fuel.