mystery inga?

[HIfarm]

I got a couple of trees from a friend here on the big island.  I was told they were machete inga so I suspected that they would be I. spectabilis or something similar.  This is what the tree turned out to be (below).  It is quite different from any Inga I have seen.  The leaves do look inga-like.  The pods are quite long, 2 1/2-3' but not machete type (if you want to keep the edged weapon analogy, you could say rapier-like).  The tree is more upright than most species of Inga I am growing.  The trunk also has very strange looking raised ridges that I have not seen on Inga before.  Any guesses what I have here?  I have not tried breaking open a pod to try these as I am not even convinced that this is an edible species at this point.  Thanks for any help you can give.

[SeaWalnut]

What a beautifull tree ! Especially the trunk .
The pods look like Inga edulis but could be otther specie as well.

[guaycuyacu]

Inga spp. always have noticeable nectar glands between each of the leaflets

[HIfarm]

Thanks for that comment, Jim.  I never really noticed that they were nectar glands but there is a fleshy flattened area (evidently the gland) between the leaflets.  It seems a bit more "leafy" looking than on most ingas I have noticed.  These pods are pretty much long cylinders that are corkscrewed.  I haven't really seen ingas where the pods appear to be round in cross section before.  So I am still not convinced that this is an inga but I suspect it must at least be a cousin.

John

[SeaWalnut]

Google Inga edulis pictures.It has pods exactly like yours not the flat type and even the bark pattern its the same.

The honney spots on leaves are for the ants to come and drink a little nectar wich they provide protection for the tree in exchange.

[HIfarm]

Thanks, SW.  I had quickly looked up I. edulis after your first post and the first few sites I looked at did not resemble what I have (they showed pods that were oblong in cross section, more like what I had seen in the past).  But, after your second post, I looked further and found some pics that do look like mine (and these seem to be from more reliable sites).  So, edulis looks like it might be a good match.  I also have some other trees that I got as I. edulis that are now just flowering so I will have to look & see if they look the same in fruiting.  Their growth pattern (more upright) seems similar to this one I posted about.  I did not notice the raised pattern on the bark so I will also have to doublecheck that on these younger trees.  Thanks for your help. 

[850FL]

I heard inga edulis and Inga F do something weird when grown in the vicinity of each other.. like one will start growing like the other or something.. idk someone from Hawaii told me that so I take their word..

[SeaWalnut]

Glad you figgured out the more reliable sites and that you now know its Inga Edulis.
They sell manny different Inga as I Edulis wich have machete like pods because of the ,,edulis,, meaning edible in the name that makes it easyer for the sellers to sell them.
I had an unknown specie of Inga with machete like pods and verry big colored seeds wich to this day i wasnt able to found what specie it is but your Inga is easy to recognise( i never known they have such beautifull bark thogh).
These are the inga seeds that look like my unknown ingas.