Hi. I’m looking for Inga Edulis in Haiti or a source that I could ship to Haiti. Any info on acquiring Inga Edulis would be appreciated. Thanks
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Hi Mike,
Mike Hands at the Inga foundation would be a useful point of contact, and he is well-qualified as an ‘expert’ on all things Inga: ingafoundation(dot)org/mike-hands/
At a Permaculture event in Portugal, I met Mim Elkan, the sister of Dan who wrote an informative article about Hands’ endeavours: theecologist(dot)org/2005/feb/20/rainforest-saver
Yet best bet would be to go to a local market where you’ll often find the pods for sale for next to nothing, often with some seeds already germinating inside: See an image on www.wish.town/en/wish/ice-cream-bean-tree-inga-edulis-seeds-or-seed-pod
Be called by it’s local name, which I wouldn’t know in Haiti, but could be ‘pois sucré’ - ‘sweet pea’
Inga edulis - Inga Common name: Ice cream bean, guaba, inga cipo, guamo bejuro, pois sucre, rabo de mico, inga de metro, monkey tail.
Good luck - what are you doing there?
Are you doing a SALT (Sloping Agri Land Techno) rehabilitation project?
I instigated one of those in Ybytyruzu National Park in Paraguay, and I was fortunate in that although the group of Evangelical Christians had slashed and burned a hectare size clearing in the rainforest, there were still many leguminous trees around from which I could harvest seeds and show the brothers out in the field how to create terraces and mulch heavily and companion plant…
Some of them took it in, some didn’t! But I enjoyed planting the seeds; figuratively and literally.
Perhaps if you look around or ask the locals they may well know where to find some useful trees?
I found Inga Edulis along with tropical(dot)theferns(dot)info/viewtropical(dot)php?id=Erythrina+edulis in the highlands of Peru near to Corongo in northern Ancash when I was working there. The bean pods, are large and the beans are delicious raw or cooked - it strikes from cuttings too.
I also found tropical(dot)theferns(dot)info/viewtropical(dot)php?id=Pouteria+lucuma … a big, healthy specimen!
http://haiti.ciesin.columbia.edu/haiti_files/documents/Freeman_UNEP_Vetiver_Report_2011_0.pdf Vetiver is obviously present in SW Haiti and is excellent for erosion control and a highly nutritive forage/fodder when young.
This you will definitely find: tropical(dot)theferns(dot)info/viewtropical(dot)php?id=Leucaena+leucocephala
I have read references to it’s edibility for humans as well as livestock - eattheweeds(dot)com/leucaena-leucocephala-food-and-fodder-2/
Mike Lee
Mike,
If you haven’t found the seeds yet, I’d be willing to hand carry some in for you. I’ve had success bringing small amounts of seeds in my luggage without all the paperwork. I suppose there is a chance they are confiscated.
If you wan to take the risk, you can have them shipped to my US residence. I leave next Monday at 3am for Haiti. If that is too short of notice, I come again in early April.
Let me know.
Best wishes,
Roger