Balu. Andean tree bean
Erythrina edulis
Family: Fabaceae
What it is like
Erythrina edulis is a deciduous Tree growing to 10 m (32ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees, wasps, birds. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Height (m): 10
Where it is found
A pioneer species, it is usually found in open areas with disturbed soil.
Western S. America - Bolivia and Peru, north to Panama.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed
Countries/locations it is found in
Andes, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, South America, Venezuela,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Seed - cooked. The large, succulent seeds have a pleasant, slightly sweet flavour. The seeds are used mostly cooked and salted. Seeds must be boiled for at least 45 minutes or fried thoroughly before being eaten. As a paste, they provide a nutritious base for tortillas, desserts, pies, soups and food for infants. They are also boiled, sun dried, ground and added to flour. The fruits hang from the tree in bunches of 9 and 18 cylindrical pods. Pod size varies widely, but averages 32 cm long and 3 cm in diameter with six seeds. The seed is a component of many diets and contains 23% protein, 1% fat, 8% crude fibre and 84% moisture. Seeds have a good balance of amino acids and a digestibility of about 50% after cooking.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 2
A soap made from the bark, branches and leaves is used to wash dogs with skin disease. The seed is mixed in a liquid concoction to treat inflammation of the bladder. The flowers are used to treat eye irritations.
Antiphlogistic: Reduces inflammation.
Ophthalmic: Treats eye complaints.
Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.
Other
Rating: 3
Agroforestry Uses: A pioneer species in its native range, it is fast-growing, fixes atmospheric nitrogen and provides food and medicines for local use. It should make an excellent species for use in establishing woodlands. The species is used for planting living fences. Grown in Panama as a shade tree for coffee, it has been recommended for agroforestry systems. The fallen leaves provide leaf litter. Other Uses The wood is used for construction. The tree is used as firewood.
Fencing: Plants that can be used for fencing.
Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.
Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.
Mulch: Used for covering the ground to conserve the nutrients in the soil.
Pioneer: Plants, usually trees and shrubs, that can be used to reforest land.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Agroforestry Services: Living fence: Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.
Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
Fodder: Pod: Fodder plants with pods.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Other Systems: Multistrata: Multistrata agroforests feature multiple layers of trees often with herbaceous perennials, annual crops, and livestock.
Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
Staple Crop: Protein: (16+ percent protein, 0-15 percent oil). Annuals include beans, chickpeas, lentils, cowpeas, and pigeon peas. Perennials include perennial beans, nuts, leaf protein concentrates, and edible milks.
Agroforestry Services: Living fence: Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.
Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
Fodder: Pod: Fodder plants with pods.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Other Systems: Multistrata: Multistrata agroforests feature multiple layers of trees often with herbaceous perennials, annual crops, and livestock.
Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
Staple Crop: Protein: (16+ percent protein, 0-15 percent oil). Annuals include beans, chickpeas, lentils, cowpeas, and pigeon peas. Perennials include perennial beans, nuts, leaf protein concentrates, and edible milks.
Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil
How it is grown
A plant of higher elevation in the dry to moist tropics. It is found at a wide range of elevations from 900 - 3,200 metres, and grows in areas where the annual temperatures range between 5 - 25°c and the rainfall is 450 - 1,800mm. Plants do not tolerate frequent frosts. Grows well in loose-textured sandy loams and in heavy clay soils, but does not like strongly acidic soils where the pH is below 4.5. A pioneer species, it grows best in full sunlight, but trees can tolerate some shade in the early stages of growth. It does not tolerate long periods of drought, especially during the early stages of establishment. The species is cultivated at quite high altitudes, between 1,800 - 2,200 metres, in the Central Andes, and in Colombia between 1,000 - 2,700 metres. The tree has a normal life span of 30 - 40 years. Seedlings grow rapidly (2.5 metres tall in the 1st year) and begin producing fruit in approximately 24 - 27 months. Cuttings begin producing fruit about 18 months after planting. In Colombia, live fence posts are established from stakes at 2 metre intervals and allowed to grow for 30 months before pruning or attaching barbed wire. Left unpruned, the posts can provide up to 85 tons of fruit. Seeds mature about three months after the plant flowers. The various species of Erythrina can all, as far as is known, be intercrossed to produce fertile hybrids. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.
Propagating it: Plants are easily propagated from seed or cuttings, but seedlings tend to root deeper and live longer than cuttings. Seed - larger seeds tend to produce more vigorous seedlings. Seeds should be planted in 1-kg polyethylene bags with the convex side facing upwards and slightly exposed. Germination begins in 5 - 10 days. Seedlings should be shaded in the nursery and shade partially reduced in the last two weeks before planting out. At 60 days, seedlings may be planted out in holes 30 cm deep. The plant can also be direct seeded. Seed should be removed from pods immediately and stored in paper bags in a cool, dark place. Seeds lose viability quickly and should be planted within 8 days of harvesting. Viability can be extended up to 20 days by dipping seeds in molten paraffin so that a thin layer of paraffin coats the entire seed. Cuttings of 4-6 cm diameter, and usually 1 m in length, should be planted to a depth of 30-50 cm within 3 days of cutting. Cuts should be made with well-sharpened tools to avoid damage that can lead to rotting; the top cut should be at a 45? angle. Sealing the cuts with paraffin, plastic, mud or other material can increase survival rates.
Best place to grow:
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 10-12
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist
Things to keep in mind
Research indicates that the uncooked seeds can be toxic if consumed over a long period. Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, the bark and stems of plants in this genus usually contain alkaloids that are toxic in all but small amounts.
Its other names
Local names
Amasisa, Antipurutu, Basul, Balu, Sachaporoto, Porotillo, Pajuro, Chachafruto,
Synonyms
Erythrina esculenta Sprague Erythrina lorenoi Macbr.