Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)

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Inga spectabilis
(Vahl) Willdenow, Fabaceae
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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Inga schimpfii Harms; Inga spectabilis var. schimpfii (Harms) Little; Mimosa spectabilis Vahl

Common name(s): [more details]

English: silky inga

Spanish: guaba de machete, guava de machete, guava machete, guavo machete

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Tree to about 10 m tall; young branches sericeous, glabrate, sharply angular; leaves 6-8-foliolate, axis about 11-25 cm long, glabrous, petiole about 1-7 cm log, rachis alate, to about 1 cm broad; glands sessile, about 1.5-2 mm broad; leaflets essentially sessile, blades coriaceous, oblong to obovate-oblong, 7-25 cm long, 3.5-12 cm broad, apex obtuse to acute, base rounded or subcordate, surfaces glabrous, secondary veins prominent; inflorescences axillary, paniculate, the axes sericeous with fulvous hairs, glabrate; bracts and bracteoles sericeous, caducous, the bracts lanceolate, bracteoles ovate; flowers sessile, about 30 mm long, calyx subsericeous, 6-8 mm long, 2-2.5 mm broad, corolla sericeous, 15-17 mm long, stamens about 30 mm long; fruit somewhat compressed, without strong angles or margins, glabrous, 30-50 cm long, 4-5.5 cm wide, 1-3 cm thick."  (Wiggins & Porter, 1971)

"Árbol de hasta 30 m de altura y 150 cm de diàmetro, los especímenes grandes con raíces tablares hasta 1 m de altura; a menudo el tronco inferior acanalado; corteza lisa grisácea, copa estrecha, de ramas ascendentes en forma de torre; follaje dnso de color verde oscuro, brillante y coriáceo; las ramitas con 4  ngulos o 4 alas estrechas; hojas compuestas, raquis alado, con 2-3 pares de folíolos ampliamente elípticos, coriaceous, los más grandes de 15-25 x 10-15 cm; hojas sin pubescencia; nectarios foliares poco profundos, en forma de plato; inflorescencias fasciculadas alrededor del ápice de la ramita o en ramitas laterals, solitarias o en pares, cada inflorescencia de 5-10 cm de longitud; flores dispuestas en una espiga compactada, subtendida plor escamas usualmente persistentes; flores de 3-4.5 cm de longitud, fragrantes, crema-verdosas con estambres blancos; legumbre 25-60 x 4-5.5 cm, coriácea, péndula, lisa o convexa, recta o ligeramente curvada, las caras con lenticelas, sin pubescencia" (Pennington and Revelo, 1997; p. pp. 106-108).

Habitat/ecology:  Moist uplands in the Galápagos Islands (McMullen, 1999; p. 56).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela; cultivated elsewhere in the neotropics (GRIN)

"Inga spectabilis tiene una amplia distributió, extendiéndose desde el sur de México a Venezuela y a través de los países andinos a Perú. Debido a su cultivo extensivo por su fruto comestible, la distributió natural es aún confusa." (Pennington and Revelo, 1997)

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands)
Floreana Group
Floreana Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands)
Isabela Group
Isabela Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands)
Isabela Group
Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabela Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands)
San Cristóbal Group
San Cristóbal Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands)
Santa Cruz Group
Santa Cruz Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Central America
Central America (Pacific rim)
Costa Rica (Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America
Central America (Pacific rim)
Nicaragua (Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America
Central America (Pacific rim)
Panama (Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Mexico
Mexico
Mexico (United Mexican States) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Oaxaca
South America (Pacific rim)
South America (Pacific rim)
Colombia native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim)
South America (Pacific rim)
Ecuador (Republic of) (continental) native
Pennington, T. D./Revelo, N. (1997) (p. 106)
South America (Pacific rim)
South America (Pacific rim)
Perú (Republic of) native
Pennington, T. D./Revelo, N. (1997) (p. 106)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Inga spectabilis, please let us know.


Need more info? Have questions? Comments? Information to contribute? Contact PIER! (pier@hear.org)

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This page was created on 6 JUL 2004 and was last updated on 18 OCT 2006.