Latin name - Inga feuillei

Ice Cream Bean is a fun, fast-growing, and handsome tree which belongs in every backyard garden.  It grows wide with an umbrella shape and large, dark green pinnate leaves, casting shade down below.  We have one growing right over our kids’ play area and it’s the perfect tree.  The Ice Cream Bean fruit is a large bean-shaped pod with velvety bronze outer skin.  When ripe, split them open to reveal a fluffy white flesh which looks a bit like cotton candy!  It’s soft, sweet, and fun to eat, with a handful of seeds inside.  We love sharing Ice Cream Beans with visitors and friends when they’re in season (usually mid-summer) and sitting under the shade of our tree makes the yard more enjoyable.  The fruit simply falls off the tree when ripe, and a handful can be collected each morning (treasure hunt!)

Ice Cream Bean trees are very easy to grow, and can tolerate a lot of neglect.  Drought, heat, poor soil, and wind don’t seem to phase them, although they can break branches in tropical storm weather.  Not to worry, they can be pruned heavily and will grow back fast.  In spring, the tips of branches develop showy powderpuff flowers, which develop into fruit over a couple months.  Inga trees are also leguminous nitrogen-fixers, and when pruned, they’ll release plant-available nitrogen deposits into the soil, boosting the growth of nearby plants.  All these aspects mean they’re a great tool for building fertility – you can plant them alongside young fruit trees, and frequently “chop n’ drop” their fast-growing foliage to quickly improve soil conditions and boost growth.

Plant your Ice Cream Bean tree in full sun, in well draining soil, and it’ll do the rest!  If it gets top heavy, simply prune it – and don’t hold back, they can take a serious cut.  Expect at least a 20x20 canopy if you let it grow large.  There are hundreds of Inga species grown in Florida and throughout the world, we have found Inga feuillei to be the most well adapted and bulletproof, with the tastiest fruit!

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Size:  20'x20' or larger when mature

Sun Requirements:  Full Sun

Cold Hardy: Young plants damaged by frost, when mature hardy to 25º F

Harvest Season:  Summer

Watering requirements: Tolerant of drought when mature

Food Forest Layer: Canopy