Artocarpus altilis

A fast-growing evergreen tree reaching 18 m (59 ft) in height and spread. Hardy to UK zone 10 and frost-tender. Pollinated by bees; not self-fertile. Adapts to light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage, tolerating poor nutrition and saline conditions. Requires full sun, prefers moist soil, and tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Description

A large tree up to 20-26 m in height. The trunk can be 6 m tall before branching. The trunk can be up to 1 m across. It is an evergreen tree but can lose its leaves in dry weather. The leaves are large and vary in the amount the leaves are divided. They can be entire or divided into 5 to 11 lobes. The leaves are bright green on the upper surface with yellow veins and are pale and dull on the under surface. They have very small stiff hairs underneath. Male and female flowers occur on the same tree. The male flowers are cylindrical spikes which droop and are 12-30 cm long. The female flowers are grouped in a round head. The flower head develops into the compound fruit. The fruit are large and green. They can be 20 cm across. Seeded kinds have spines, and seedless kinds have a more smooth surface. Seeded, small seeded, and non seeded types occur. There are a number of cultivars of each. Seed can be 2 cm across and with darker lines.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers Fruit Leaves Seed Edible Uses: Gum Edible portion: Fruit, Seeds, Leaves, Flowers, Vegetable. Breadfruit is a versatile food that can be cooked and eaten at all stages of its development. The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. The unripe fruit, as small as 2 - 6cm in diameter, is eaten as a starchy vegetable with a flavour similar to that of artichoke hearts. It can be prepared in various ways including boiling, baking, added to soups, pickling etc. Ripe fruits are somewhat sweet and are occasionally eaten raw, but are more often cooked as a starchy vegetable or fermented into a cheese-like food. The mature fruit can be dried and ground into a flour. The mature fruit is about 20cm long. Compared with other staple starch crops, breadfruit is a better source of protein than is cassava; it is comparable to sweet potato and banana. It is a relatively good source of iron, calcium, potassium and riboflavin. Seed - cooked. Firm and close-textured, they are very nutritious, with a flavour somewhat reminiscent of chestnuts. They can be cooked with the raw breadfruit or removed and boiled or roasted. They are usually peeled before being eaten. Both fresh and cooked seeds contain about 8% protein. The seeds are low in fat compared with tree nuts such as almond, brazil nut and macadamia nut, which contain 50 - 70% fat. The seeds are a good source of minerals and contain more niacin than cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, pecans, black walnuts or chestnuts. Male inflorescence - cooked and used as a vegetable or used in the preparation of a sweetmeat.

Traditional Uses

The large seeds are roasted and eaten. The flesh of the fruit is eaten cooked. It can be boiled, baked, steamed, mashed, or turned into soups, puddings, cakes and pies. Dried fruit are made into flour. The young leaves are edible. The male and female flowers are edible.

Medicinal Uses

Anticonvulsant Antifungal Antispasmodic Astringent Cancer Digestive Dysentery Purgative Skin Breadfruit has a very wide range of applications in traditional medicine with all parts of the plant being utilised in the treatment of a range of conditions. Research has shown the presence of a number of active compounds in the plant:- The fruit contains artocarpine and the enzyme papayotine. The leaf contains the phenols quercetin and camphorol, plus gamma-aminobutyric acid, which lowers the blood pressure. The stem-bark and fruit contain cyclopropane sterols. The toasted flowers are rubbed on the gums around aching teeth to ease pain. An extract from the flowers is effective in treating ear oedema. Latex is massaged into the skin to treat broken bones, bruises, sprains, abscesses etc, and is bandaged on the spine to relieve sciatica. It is commonly used to treat puncture wounds in the eyes, skin ailments and fungal diseases such as thrush. The latter is also treated with crushed leaves. Diluted latex is taken internally to treat diarrhoea, stomach-ache and dysentery. Latex and juice from the crushed leaves are both traditionally used to treat ear infections. A filtrate of new, unfolded leaves is employed as a remedy for fish poisoning and as a muscle relaxant in cases of convulsive spasms. The yellowing leaf is brewed into a tea and taken to reduce high blood pressure. The tea is also thought to control diabetes. Hypertension and diabetes medications are prepared from a mixture of the boiled leaves of this species combined with Persea americana, Carica papaya and Annona muricata. The leaves are used in Taiwan to treat liver diseases and fevers. The root is an astringent and is used as a purgative. Pressed fluid of the root is used in the treatment of respiratory ailments which include difficult, painful breathing. When macerated it is used as a poultice for skin ailments. The bark is used to treat headache. Bark extracts exhibited strong cytotoxic activities against leukaemia cells in tissue culture, and extracts from roots and stem barks showed some antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and may have potential in treating tumours. Liquid squeezed from the bark or leaves is given to remedy chest pains and vomiting resulting from heart trouble. Pressed liquid from the stem bark is employed in the treatment of pain in the bones and maternal postpartum infections. The bark is also used to treat stomach aches and digestive tract problems. Fluid pressed from young fruit is given to treat an illness which causes pain in the lungs and vomiting of blood.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It occurs in the hot, humid, tropical lowlands. The plant is purely tropical and normally below about 650m altitude, but trees grow from sea level up to about 1150 m. Seeded types are more dominant in the west of Papua New Guinea. Trees are killed by temperatures below 5°C. It probably requires an average temperature over 22°C to grow well. It tends to grow in the temperature range 16°C to 38°C. It grows on a range of soils providing they are well drained. It grows on atolls. There is some cultivar difference in drought tolerance and salt tolerance. Uniformly warm humid climates suit it best. An annual rainfall of 200-250 cm and a relative humidity of 70-80% suits. It suits hardiness zone 11-12.

Where It Grows

Africa, Amazon, American Samoa, Andamans, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bougainville, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Caroline Islands, Central Africa, Central America, China, Chuuk, Colombia, Congo DR, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Europe, Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, FSM, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinée, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kiribati, Kosrae, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia*, Maldives, Mariana Islands, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North America, Niue, Pacific, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea*, PNG, Peru, Philippines, Pohnpei, Puerto Rico, Rotuma, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Seychelles, Singapore, Society Islands, Solomon Islands, South America, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Tahiti, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad, Truk, Tuvalu, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Wallis & Futuna, West Africa, West Indies, West Papua, Yap,

Cultivation

Seeded forms are self sown by birds or bats, and also grown from seed. The presence or absence of seeds significantly affects the production. Seeded trees are mostly propagated by seed which needs to be sown fresh, without seed drying out. Seedless trees are propagated by root cuttings. Cuttings of roots 1.5 cm to 4 cm across and 25 cm long are suitable. Cuttings can be rooted during the wet season, in sand. They should be placed horizontally. They need to be kept moist and shaded. Using intermittent mist improves root formation and cutting establishment. Rooting hormones also assists. This process takes 10 weeks or more and then rooted cuttings should be hardened off in a sunny position for up to 3 more months before planting out into the field. Young plants do best with adequate sun and not shade. Root suckers produced naturally, or by damaging the roots, are a common method of production of new material. Marcottage or budding can also be used for propagation. The vegetatively propagated trees are therefore clones and the variation is presumably therefore somatic. Fruit set can be improved by dusting male flowers onto female flowers 3 days after they emerge. Because trees often occur from natural seed dispersal by fruit bats and marsupials trees are often randomly spaced and common in secondary forest. A spacing of 10-13m is suitable between trees. Fruit can be 12-22 cm long and 9 - 17 cm wide. The fruit shape varies from round to oblong. Leaves vary from entire to deeply lobed and from rough to smooth and shiny. The central core and the skin are not eaten. Seeded fruit have projecting tuberances on the surface of the fruit. Seedless fruit have rounded or 5 to 6 sided processes on the surface. Male and female flowers grow separately on the same tree. Male flowers form an oblong catkin while female flowers form a globular head. The flowers are in the axils of leaves. Both flowers normally appear at the same time. Artificial pollination has resulted in increased yields in some places. This is both an increase in fruit size and more fruit retained on the tree to maturity. The pollen in the male flower is available 10 to 15 days after emergence. It is about 3 months from flowering to fruit maturity. Seeded fruit have 30 to 90 seeds per fruit. Trees rarely receive much attention after establishment but pruning of branches to allow easier access to fruit is sometimes undertaken. Seedless fruit are picked before maturity when the fruit is eaten by boiling. Harvesting mature fruit can be sweeter fruit but they need to be cooked by baking or roasting. Seeded fruit are normally allowed to drop and are then harvested. Seeds are boiled in salted water or roasted. A mature tree can yield up to 700 fruit per year. The seeds are about 20 % of dry matter as protein with a good nutritional balance. The essential amino acid levels are high for vegetable protein. Fresh fruit are highly perishable and need to be handled carefully and efficiently. Pit preservation of breadfruit involves lactic acid fermentation. The fermentation needs to be undergone for 2 to 3 months to produce a palatable product. Breadfruit slices can be stored under refrigeration in a fresh marketable state at 14°C for up to 10 days. Segments can be boiled for 2 to 5 minutes then frozen at minus 15°C for at least 11 weeks.

Propagation

Seed - best extracted from ripe fruits and sown immediately as they lose viability within a few weeks. They are planted about 5 cm apart and 1 cm deep. The seed germinates best at a temperature of 24 - 27c. Some 85% germinate about 2 weeks after sowing. The germination bed should be kept moist. Seedlings can be transplanted into individual containers as soon as they sprout. They grow quickly and are ready for planting in the field when they are about 1 year old. Root cuttings. These are best collected during the dormant season immediately preceding the renewal of growth, or at the beginning of that period, when carbohydrate stores in roots are highest. The dormant period (2-3 months) begins immediately after the crop ripens. Cuttings of roots 1.5 cm to 4 cm across and 25 cm long are suitable. Cuttings can be rooted during the wet season, in sand. They should be placed horizontally. They need to be kept moist and shaded. Using intermittent mist improves root formation and cutting establishment. Rooting hormones also assists. This process takes 10 weeks or more and then rooted cuttings should be hardened off in a sunny position for up to 3 more months before planting out into the field. Young plants do best with adequate sun and not shade. Root suckers produced naturally, or by damaging the roots, are a common method of production of new material. Marcottage or budding can also be used for propagation. Air layering.

Other Uses

Adhesive Bedding Containers Dye Fibre Fodder Fuel Gum Insecticide Shelterbelt String Waterproofing Weaving Wood Other uses rating: High (4/5). Seaside; shade tree, backyard tree, specimen. Agroforestry Uses: The breadfruit is an important component of traditional agroforestry systems in the Pacific Islands. The trees are integrated into mixed cropping systems with yams and other root crops, Piper methysticum, bananas and some cash crops, especially black pepper and coffee. The tree is sometimes used as a wind-break or shade tree for coffee plantations. Other Uses The male flower spikes are blended with fibre of paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) to make elegant loincloths. The inner layer of bark, or bast, was used to make bark cloth (tapa). Traditionally it had ceremonial and ritual uses, was also used for beddings and items of clothing such as cloaks, loincloths and robes. Breadfruit bast makes good cordage with a diverse range of uses such as harnesses for water buffalo and nets for catching sharks. The sticky, milky sap is a gum that is used to caulk canoes to make them watertight and can be used as an adhesive to seal and prepare wooden surfaces for painting. A sticky latex is present in all parts of the tree and has many uses. It is used as a chewing gum in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Can be used as an adhesive for bark cloth and for caulking canoes. The latex can be mixed with coconut oil for trapping houseflies. The inflorescence has been used to make a yellow tan to brown dye. The fat extracted from the seed is a light yellow liquid, viscous at room temperature, with a characteristic odour similar to that of peanuts. It has a chemical number and physical properties similar to those of olive oil. The dried, hard flowers can be burned as a mosquito repellent. The leaves are widely used as plates and also to wrap food for cooking and serving. The dried stipules or senescent leaves are slightly rough, and in Hawaii they were used to polish and smooth bowls and nuts strung for decorative purposes. The heartwood is golden speckled with orange, differentiated from the yellow or brownish-yellow sapwood. The golden yellow colour darkens with age. The wood is very light, durable, soft, but quite resistant in spite of its low specific gravity. Traditionally it was widely used for the construction of houses and canoes because of its resistance to termites and marine worms. The wood is also used to make bowls, carvings, furniture and even surfboards. The trees are an important source of firewood in some areas. Special Uses Carbon Farming Food Forest

Production

Trees begin to bear after 3-6 years. Growth of the trees is vigorous, with fruiting starting after about 3 years. Trees grow to 10-15 m in 10-12 years. Mature trees can be 30 m high. Fruiting can occur over 5-8 months in some locations and this is partly due to varieties with overlapping fruit seasons. A tree can produce 50-150 fruit per year. A fruit can weigh 1-1.6 kg each. Large trees can give 700 fruit per year of 1-4 kg each. An average seed weighs 5 g. Fruit are harvested 65-95 days after flowering.

Other Information

A quite important supplementary seasonal food in many coastal areas. The seeded forms are more common in the western part of Papua New Guinea. It is cultivated.

Notes

There are about 50 Artocarpus species. They are in the tropics and subtropics of Asia and the Pacific.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Aire, Arbol del pan, Balape, Baleo, Ban bukeyo, Beregrie, Beta, Bezai, Bia, Bulo, Daewa, Dhel, Era pla, Fruta-pao, Fruta de pan, Frutipan, Guapen, Iirapilakai, Imbuluku, Kamansi, Kapamu, Kapiak, Kastanje, Kekene, Kelewih, Kelor, Kelur, Khanun-sampalor, Khnaor samloo, Kikwa ki santu Petelo, Kula, Kulor, Kulu, Kulu kisa, Kulur, Kuru, Lemae, Lemai, Leme, Lemmai, Ma, Maata, Madar, Mahi, Mai, Mapen, Mbeta, Mbze, Me, Meduu, Mei, Mian bao guo, Mian-boo-kuo, Mshelisheli, Muzuh, Nimbalu, Pakak, Pan del arbol, Pananote, Panapen, Pan de pobre, Pandicho, Pan-no-ki, Pan-no-mi, Paparu, Patai, Paung-mok-thi, Petaa, Petelo, Pitiu nere, Pohon sukun, Rata del, Rauai, Rimas, Rok-rok, Sa-ke, Saa-keh, Saake, Sake, Sakee, Seema panasa, Seema pila, Sika, Silem, Siliman, Sinima, Sirama, Soanambo, Sombee, Sou, Sukun, Te mai, Thou, Timbul, Tubak, Tufah, Ugi, Ulu, Uru, Uto, Uto sori, Vilayati phanas, Xa ke, Yaca

References (316)

• Breadfruit references
• Aalbergsberg,W.G.L., Lovelace,C.E.A.,Madhojik.and Parkinson,S.V., 1988, Davuke, the traditional Fijian method of pit preservation of staple carbohydrate foods. Ecology of Food and Nutrition(USA), 21(3) 173-180.
• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 42
• Achinewhu, S.C. & Akpapunam, M.A.,1985, Physical and chemical characteristics and refined vegetable oils from rubber seed (Hevea brasiliensis) and breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis). Qualitas Plantarum. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition(Netherlands) 35(2):103-107.
• Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 56

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