Kunth, Fabaceae
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Kunth, Fabaceae |
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Present on Pacific Islands? yes
Primarily a threat at high elevations? no
Habit: tree
Description: "Young shoots slightly angular, pale-lenticellate, brown-tomentose. Stipules 5-8 mm long, ovate, tomentose, caduceus. Petiole 1.5-2.6 cm long, narrowly winged, tomentose; rachis 8.5-12 cm long, winged (up to 2 cm wide), axis pubescent, appendix absent. Foliar nectaries stalked (1-2 mm long), head capitate to cup-shaped, 0.3-1.5 mm in diameter. Petiolule 2-3 mm long. Leaflets 4-6 airs; terminal pair 9.5-14 x 4-6 cm, elliptic to obovate, apex narrowly attenuate, base rounded, sometimes asymmetrical; basal pair 4.2-7 x 1.7-2.8 cm, same shape as terminal pair; scattered pubescence or subglabrous; venation eucamptodromous; secondary veins 8-12 pairs, convergent, arcuate; intersecondaries moderate or absent; tertiaries oblique. Inflorescence axillary, solitary or aired, a congested spike or raceme; peduncle 3.5-5.5 cm long, tomentose; floral rachis 2.5-4 cm long; bracts 7-9 mm long, linear to narrowly elliptic, persistent; pedicel 0.5-2 mm long. Calyx open in bud; tube 7-12 mm long, narrowly funnel-shaped, striate, lobes 1.5-3 mm long; tomentose. Corolla tube 1.3-2 cm long, lobes 3-5 mm long; sericeo-villose. Stamens 65-70, staminal tube 1.5-2 cm long, 2-2.5 mm in diameter, included, free filaments 2-2.5 cm long. Ovary of 1 carpel, glabrous, style exceeding the stamens, style-head cup-shaped, ovules 20-24. Legume 14-18 x 2-2.5 x 1.5-2 cm, quadrangular, straight or slightly curved, apex and base obtuse to rounded, faces smooth, margins 1.5-2 cm thick, longitudinally ribbed; tomentose.
"Field characters: Unbuttressed tree to 10 m high and 35 cm in diameter, usually branched from near the base; bark smooth, grey; crown dense, usually broader than tall, of deep green glossy foliage. Young foliage develops reddish-brown. Flowers with slight scent, with yellowish-green to greenish-brown calyx and corolla, and white stamens, said to be much frequented by hummingbirds in Peru. Mature fruit green to greenish-brown, the seeds surrounded by a succulent white sarcotesta" (Pennington, 1997; pp.746-749).
Habitat/ecology: In its native range, "widely cultivated for its fruit in the cool sierras, between 1000 and 3000 m" (Pennington, 1997; p.749).
Propagation: Seed
Native range: Colombia; Ecuador and Peru (GRIN).
Presence:
| Pacific | |||
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Country/Terr./St. & Island group |
Location |
Cited status &
Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction? |
Reference &
Comments |
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Ecuador (Galápagos Islands)
Santa Cruz Group |
Santa Cruz Island |
introduced
cultivated |
Charles Darwin Foundation (2008) |
| Pacific Rim | |||
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Country/Terr./St. & Island group |
Location |
Cited status &
Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction? |
Reference &
Comments |
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Colombia
Colombia |
Colombia (Republic of) |
native
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U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) |
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Ecuador (Mainland)
Ecuador |
Ecuador (Republic of) (continental) |
native
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U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) |
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Perú
Perú |
Perú (Republic of) |
native
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U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) |
Additional information:
Additional online information about Inga insignis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).
Information about Inga insignis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).
Taxonomic information about Inga insignis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
References:
Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.
Pennington, T. D. 1997. The genus Inga botany. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 844 pp. ISBN 1900347121.
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.