Artocarpus odoratissimus

Artocarpus odoratissimus, commonly known as marang, tarap, terap or less common, johey oak, is a species of flowering plant in the Moraceae family. It is native to Borneo from where has been introduced to the Philippines. It is closely related to the jackfruit, cempedak, and breadfruit trees which all belong to the same genus, Artocarpus.

Description

A large tree. It grows 12 to 25 m high. The trunk is 40 cm across. The bark is smooth and dark grey. The twigs are 4-10 mm thick. They have ring like scars. The leaves are very rough and large. They are leathery. They can be entire or lobed. They are 16-50 cm long by 11-28 cm wide. They are hairy on both sides. The edges can be wavy. There are 12-15 pairs of secondary veins which curve and disappear near the edge of the leaf. The flower heads are solitary in the axils of leaves. The male heads are long and 40-90 ,, long by 25-35 mm wide. The fruit are very large and oval. It is 16 cm long by 13 cm wide. They are covered with soft fleshy spines. The fruit is yellow-green. The flesh of the fruit is white and very juicy and sweet with a smell. The fruit stalk is 5.5-14 cm long. The seeds are oval and 12 mm long by 8 mm wide. The fruit are edible.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit Seed Edible Uses: Edible portion: Fruit, Seeds, Nuts. The ripe fruits are fleshy, aromatic, sweet and juicy - similar to the jackfruit (A. heterophyllus) but of much better quality. Usually eaten as a dessert fruit, they are considered to be the finest fruit in Brunei. The unripe fruit can be eaten as a boiled vegetable. The roundish to oblong fruit is quite large, averaging about 16cm long and 13cm in diameter. The rind of the fruit is said to be edible. Thick and fleshy. Seed - roasted or boiled and eaten. Seeds boiled for 30 minutes in salty water have a delicious nutty flavour. Roasted seeds have a flavour similar to sweet chestnuts. The whitish seed is about 8 _ 15mm in size.

Traditional Uses

The fleshy portion of the fruit is eaten raw. It is sweet. The seeds are eaten roasted or boiled. The unripe fruit can be cooked as a vegetable.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

A tropical tree. It suits the hot, wet tropical lowlands. It prefers a warm humid climate. It can be damaged by temperatures below 5°C. Occurs only in Mindoro, Mindanao and Basilan but apparently fairly common in Mindoro, Cotabato, Lanao, Davao, Zamboanga and Basilan in the Philippines. In Indonesia it grows in lowland forest and up to 1,000 m altitude. Brisbane Botanical Garden.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia*, Mauritius, Myanmar, North America, Pacific, Philippines*, SE Asia, South America, USA,

Cultivation

A plant of lowland humid tropics, succeeding at elevations up to 1,000 metres, it grows best in regions with abundant and equally distributed rainfall. Prefers a deep, well-drained soil. Young plants need some shade, but need increasing light levels as they mature. Trees as young as 4 - 6 years can begin to bear fruit. Yields of 4 - 6 tonnes per hectare have been achieved. The fruits are borne at the end of long flexible branches and ripe fruits are heavy, fragile and difficult to reach for harvest. Mature fruits are usually harvested by hand with the help of a curved knife attached to the end of long bamboo pole. Getting at the heavy fruit at the end of slender twigs is hazardous. The delicate fruit really should be caught to break the fall, it has a very short shelf life. A tree produces about 180 fruit per season.

Propagation

Seed - it has a short viability and so is best sown as soon as it is ripe. The seed germinates best at a temperature of 24 - 27c. Germination is often 100% within 4 weeks. Plants are spaced 12-14 m apart. Root cuttings. Air layering. Plants can be grafted.

Other Uses

Other Uses: None known Special Uses Food Forest

Production

A tropical tree. Trees produce after about 4-6 years. The spines on the fruit snap when the fruit is ripe. The fruit have to be picked from the tree as it doesn't fall. A tree produces about 180 fruit per season.

Other Information

It is a cultivated food plant. The fruit is good tasting.

Notes

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

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Beluli, Benturung, Jarap hutan, Keiran, Kian, Loloi, Lumok, Lumuk amat, Madang, Marang-banguhan, Marang, Morang, Muntorong, Pi-ien, Pingan, Tarap, Tekalong, Terap, Timadang

References (33)

• Arora, R. K., 2014, Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species - An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Bioversity International. p 59
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 43
• Brown, W.H., 1920, Wild Food Plants of the Philippines. Bureau of Forestry Bulletin No. 21 Manila. p 44
• Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 260
• Call, C. A., et al, 2004, Participatory Rural Appraisal in the Upland Ecosystem of Mt Malindang, Misamis Occidental, Philippines. Biodiversity Research Programme for Development in Mindanao. p 53

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