Inga vera

A medium, evergreen tree from Central America. It is used in its place of origin as an ornamental tree and for its fruit. It is characterized by a spreading canopy that provides abundant shade. Its foliage is fresh and green. Its leaves are feathery: the main vein of the leaf has a kind of wing on it. The tree’s fruit is a long, thin pod that has fleshy and sweet insides with a taste that is reminiscent of ice cream. The pod’s flesh is covered in inedible seeds. It is resistant to the hot and cold conditions found in Israel, but it will struggle more in the conditions of the high mountains, as one would expect of a tree coming from a tropical point of origin. In Israel, large specimens can definitely be found, but in its place of origin, there are those with even larger dimensions. In addition to growing the tree for picking and eating the fruit, the tree is used as an important shade tree in parks and also in coffee and cocoa plantations in Central America. Despite its fast rate of growth, it is considered to be a strong tree and is long-lived. It responds well to pruning and is relatively easy to design.