Inga punctata Willd. (Fabaceae)

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Espinoza, R., Perez, D., Masís, A., Guadamuz, A. and Chavarría, F. 1998. Inga punctata (Fabaceae) Species Page, September 15, 1998. Species Home Pages, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica. http://www.acguanacaste.ac.cr

I. Identification:

Tree approximately 3-5 m tall.

Flower:

Fruit:

Leaves:

Upper surface of leaf

Foliar nectary

Bark and wood:

Whole plant architecture:

Similar species:

Verification:

II. Geographic distribution:

International:

In Costa Rica:

In the Area de Conservación Guanacaste:

Map of macro-habitats of the ACG

III. Natural History:

If you want to be sure about inga punctata you should already be studying it, since it produces its more or less small, flat, and numerous characteristic fruits (sheaths) in June-July. It is one of the few ingas that does not have a winged rachis. The problem is that in sectors such as Cacao there are other ingas that do not have them either, but they can be differentiated by their fruits, which are two times the size of those of inga punctata. It is commonly found on the edges of pastures. However in forests such as Arenales inga punctatas up to 30 m tall can be found and are the source of the young trees which sprout in the pastures of Arenales. Inga punctata is the host plant of the white Morpho and various Hesperidos.

IV. How to find:

Can be found in the El Hacha sector, the Guitarra area.

Acknowledgments:

This project was carried out by the Area de Conservación Guanacaste/CR, with help from INBio/CR, ICBG from the Foggarty center, NIH/USA and NSF/USA.

Thanks to Kate Beattie for helping with the managment of images and translation of this species page.

Literature cited: