Ice Cream Bean Fruit Pods with seeds - Inga Vera

edible pods with viable seeds to plant.

Inga vera also known as Ice Cream Bean Tree.  It is a very fast-growing tree native to the American tropics and is grown in the Amazon by indigenous peoples for centuries. 

The pictured fruit is of this species.  The fluffy white cottony flesh is edible and full of a sugary juice that is smooth and reminds you of ice cream (hence the name) 

These trees are widely used in agroforestry and syntropic farming. It is a legume tree and has edible fruit in the ben pods.  It has special nitrogen fixing nodules on the roots that releases nitrogen in the soil and helps the plant stay dark green.  Other plants can benefit from the nitrogen when planted nearby.  It is great for use in tropical system alley cropping and used for shade as well.  Fast growing makes very large shade trees if left unpruned. Trees have been known to flower on the 3rd year from seed and set fruit in year 4 in Southwest Florida zone 10.