Inga thibaudiana

Inga thibaudiana is a small tree of the legume family (Fabaceae) with a densely branched crown reaching about 20 m in height, native to the Neotropics from south-eastern Mexico through Central America and the Caribbean (including Trinidad and Tobago) south to Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. The pinnately compound leaves bear four to seven pairs of leaflets, each leaflet elongated and often with a curved, drip-tip apex characteristic of rainforest foliage; the rachis bears small foliar nectaries between the leaflets. White, wispy, brush-like flowers with numerous long stamens are crowded in short spikes near the branch ends, attracting hawkmoth and bat pollinators. The fruit is a long, flattened indehiscent pod containing many seeds embedded in a sweet, edible white aril typical of the 'ice-cream bean' genus. The species is a fast-growing pioneer of forest edges, regenerating disturbed sites, and is also valued locally as firewood; vernacular names include guaba de mono, guabito, and guavo de playa.