Artocarpus integer

Artocarpus integer, commonly known as chempedak or cempedak, is a species of tree in the family Moraceae, in the same genus as breadfruit and jackfruit. It is native to Southeast Asia. Cempedak is an important crop in Malaysia and is also popularly cultivated in southern Thailand and parts of Indonesia, and has the potential to be utilized in other areas. It is currently limited in range to Southeast Asia, with some trees in Australia and Hawaii.

Description

A tree up to 20-35 m tall. The trunk can be 55 cm across. The bark is dark grey or red-brown. The twigs are 2-4 mm thick. The leaves are leathery. They are oval and 5-25 cm long by 2.5-12 cm wide. The base of the leaf tapers. The flowers occur singly in the axils of leaves. The male heads are pale green or yellow. They are finger like and 30-55 mm long by 9-12 mm wide. They are smooth. The flower stalk is 25-60 mm long. The fruit is a compound fruit. It is produced on the trunk and main branches. It can be 20-50 cm long by 10-15 cm wide. The skin is yellow to brown. There are many fleshy spines over the fruit. The flesh of the fruit is yellow to light brown, It has a slimy texture. The fruit are edible. The seeds are oblong. They are 30 mm long by 20 mm wide. They are covered in a cream slimy coat.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit Leaves Seed Edible Uses: Edible portion: Fruit, Seeds, Leaves. Fruit - raw or cooked. The pulp of the ripe fruit is golden-yellow, it is rather slimy and strongly odoriferous, almost like that of the durian. The flavour is sweet, resembling durian and mango. It is eaten fresh, fried with flour, or made into a type of pudding. The unripe fruit is used as a cooked vegetable or is added to soups. The fruit is up to 9cm long. The almost globose fruit is 20 - 35cm long x 10 - 15cm wide. Each fruit can weigh from 600 - 3,500g. Ripe seeds - roasted or boiled and eaten as a delicacy. Rich in starch, they have a nutty flavour. Young leaves - cooked and used as a vegetable.

Traditional Uses

The flesh is eaten raw or fried together with the seed. It is also used for pickles. Young fruit are eaten as a vegetable. They can be added to soups. The ripe seeds are boiled or roasted and eaten. The young leaves are eaten.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It suits hot, wet tropical lowlands. It needs year round moisture. It grows in the high forest in Malaysia from sea level to 1300 m altitude. In XTBG Yunnan. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

Where It Grows

A common, sub-canopy tree in secondary forests and locally abundant in primary lowland rainforest, often on wet hillsides in Thailand. Usually found at elevations up to 450 metres, occasionally to 1,200 metres.

Cultivation

Seed remain viable for several weeks. Plants are often grown from seed. The can be grown by budding or grafting. Light shade is essential. A spacing of 12-14 m is suitable.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. The seed germinates best at a temperature of 24 - 27c. It can be raised by direct sowing or planting nursery-raised container seedlings. Fresh seeds record germination rates of about 75%. Root cuttings. Air layering.

Other Uses

Dye Fibre Fuel String Tannin Varnish Wood Other uses rating: Medium (3/5). Agroforestry Uses: The tree is well suited for reforestation projects in association with other species. Other Uses A fibre obtained from the bark can be used to make rope. A resin obtained from the tree is used as a varnishing material. The latex obtained from the plant has no value. It can be used for making lime. The bark contains tannin. With alum, the extract of heartwood provides a yellow dye that is moderately fast on silk. This dye is used in colouring the saffron-coloured robes of Buddhists. The dark yellow to brown wood is strong and durable and is used for building construction, furniture and boats. Sold under the trade name jack, is as strong as teak (Tectona grandis), takes a good polish, saws and works easily, and is durable under water. It is generally not attacked by fungi and termites. The tree is a good fuel wood; the calorific value of moisture-free heartwood is 5369 kcal/kg of wood. Special Uses Carbon Farming Food Forest

Production

Growth is slow. Trees produce fruit after 5 years from germination. A tree can produce 100 fruit each year. Fruit may weigh 25 kg.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Bangkong, Banturung manuk, Baroh, Beluno, Bukoh, Campedek, Cempedak, Champada, Chubadak, Kakan, Mangkahai, Nakan, Nangka berit, Nangka tjomedak, Pohon cempedak, Pulutan, Sempedak, Sachram, Sonekadot, Temedak, Tibadak, Tibudak

References (54)

• AAK, 1980, Bertanam Pohon Buah-buahan. Penerbitan Yayasan Kanisius, Jogyakarta. p 75
• Argent, G et al, nd, Manual of the Larger and More important non Dipterocarp Trees of Central Kalimantan Indonesia. Volume 2 Forest Research Institute, Samarinda, Indonesia. p 434
• Arora, R. K., 2014, Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species - An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Bioversity International. p 58
• Barrau, J., 1979, Breadfruit and relatives, in Simmonds N.W.,(ed), Crop Plant Evolution. Longmans. London. p 201
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 43 (As Artocarpus champeden)

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