Native & adapted

Ice cream bean

Inga edulis

Also known as Inga · Guaba · Monkey tail · Pacay

A fast legume tree with long pods full of sweet, cottony pulp that tastes like vanilla. It feeds the soil with nitrogen and makes quick shade for other tropicals.

EdibleFruitingNitrogen fixerFast growingFrost tender

Landscape layersLower canopy

Mature size

15–30 ft tall and 15–25 ft wide; easy to hold at 12–15 ft

Climate fit

Urban core · USDA 9b–10a · Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b

Plant spacing

15 ft from other trees

Frost

Leaves damaged near 32°F; young trees can be killed below about 28°F.

Special categories

EDIBLE · NITROGEN FIXING

Hardiness guidance

USDA 10–11; damaged below about 30°F

Winter chill

None

Typical harvest

Pods ripen in late summer and fall, a few months after flowering.

Before you plant

These conditions determine whether it will thrive.

Soil chemistry

Fast-draining soil rich in compost. Phoenix soil is alkaline, so work in soil sulfur and organic matter and use chelated iron if new leaves turn yellow between the veins.

Required microclimate

Placement is part of the growing system.

Warm, sheltered spot with afternoon shade and frost protection.

Cold hardiness

Cover on every frost night

New growth is damaged at 32°F and mature trees can die around 28°F, so there is very little margin in a Phoenix winter. Cover or move it in any night forecast near freezing, every year.

Leaves and wood: damaged below 32°F

Heat tolerance

Needs afternoon shade

It comes from humid tropical lowlands and tolerates daytime highs only to about 95°F, far below Phoenix summers. Give it afternoon or filtered shade and steady water, and expect leaf scorch in dry heat anyway. Few hard figures exist for this one.

Sources:

tropical.theferns.info

Right plant, right place

Will Ice cream bean grow at your Arizona property?

Fast and wide. It works as a chop-and-drop nurse tree whose trimmings feed the soil around fruit trees.

Best regional fit: Urban core · USDA 9b–10a, Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b.

Light

Sun exposure

Morning sun with afternoon shade from June through September, such as the east side of a house or under a taller nurse tree. Protect from frost on winter nights.

Water

Irrigation

Moderate to high. Deep water two times a week in summer.

Fruit set

Pollination

Self-fertile; bees and hummingbirds visit the flowers.

Harvest

How to use it

Split the pod and eat the sweet white pulp around the seeds. Seeds are cooked before eating, if at all.

Planting & stewardship

How to help Ice cream bean thrive

1
Prune each spring to keep it at a reachable size; trimmings make good mulch.
2
Cover on frost nights, especially in the first two winters.
3
Mulch deeply to keep roots cool and moist.
4
Pick pods when they plump up and the pulp is soft.

Read the horticultural reference ↗