Ice-Cream Bean – Inga edulis

Plant family: Fabaceae-Mimosoideae

Plant origin: South America, Central America.

Fruit description: The long ribbed pods are 125mm to 250mm in length. Each contains soft white flesh which looks like cotton wool and smells and tastes like vanilla ice-cream. Kids love it! The 20 mm seeds inside the pod are not edible. Once picked the pods don't keep well.

Flowers: The flowers are spectacular, fluffy yellow and white, occurring in clusters on long spikes.

Growing conditions: The Ice-cream Bean tree grows fast to a height of about 10 metres. It makes an excellent windbreak or shade tree, having a dense flat and wide canopy. It prefers a warm climate, well-drained soil and can tolerate mild frost. It is a terrific nitrogen-fixing leguminous plant.

Uses: Eat the sweet juicy smooth white flesh around the seeds.

Medicinal uses:

Pollination requirements: Self-Pollinating

Harvest time The pods are ready to harvest in Summer and Autumn when they have a brown felt color.

Plant relatives

Special features: This leguminous tree fertilises and benefits the soil as it fixes nitrogen in nodules on the roots, making it available for other plants.

Grown by method: Seed Grown Pot size: 140mm

Plant growing Height and Width for pots or in the ground planting: Grows to 3 metres high by 2.5 metres wide if Planted in a Pot. Grows to 10 metres high by 7 metres wide if Planted in the Ground.

Shipping plant pot or planter bag size: 140mm