''Inga alba'' is a species of tree from the family Fabaceae, native to Central and South America. The common name in English is white inga.

Description

''Inga alba'' can grow up to 40 m in height. It has red

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, ...

and 4 to 5 leaf pairs (occasionally 3 or 6 pairs), with the distal pair 6.1–10 cm long and 2.5—7.7 cm wide. The

rachis In biology, a rachis (from the grc, ῥάχις [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this c ...

is 5—13.5 cm long and wingless. The

glands In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). Structure De ...

are cone-shaped, the

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s obsolete. The

inflorescences An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed on ...

are short, the shaft is 4–20 mm long and the rachis 5–8 mm long. The flowers are pale green and the

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

are white. The fruits are flat up to 14 cm long and 2 cm wide. It flowers between August and November and bares fruit between January and March.

Distribution

''Inga alba's'' distribution ranges from Mexico and Central America down to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil in South America.

Classification

The species was in originally described in 1788 by

Olof Swartz Olof Peter Swartz (21 September 1760 – 19 September 1818) was a Swedish botanist and taxonomist. He is best known for his taxonomic work and studies into pteridophytes. Biography Olof Swartz attended the University of Uppsala where he ...

as ''Mimosa alba''. It was placed in the genus ''Inga'' in 1806 by

Carl Ludwig von Willdenow Carl Ludwig Willdenow (22 August 1765 – 10 July 1812) was a German botanist, pharmacist, and plant taxonomist. He is considered one of the founders of phytogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of plants. Willdenow was ...

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1438396

alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingdom ...

Trees of South America Trees of Central America Trees of Mexico