Jackfruit
Family Moraceae
Artocarpus heterophyllus (= Artocarpus integra, = Artocarpus integrifolia), jackfruit (A. heterophyllus 1), is an evergreen monoecious tree, closely related to the breadfruit, with large spirally arranged entire leaves, dark green and shiny above, pale green beneath (A. heterophyllus 4). The male and female inflorescences are borne on main stem and branches as well as on short twigs. Male flowers are minute with a single stamen, the female flowers are embedded in a receptacle. The fruit is a huge syncarp, pear-shaped, up to 90 cm long, with short hexagonal spines and yellow rind and flesh, containing seeds with a thick yellow covering, arranged around a large central core (A. heterophyllus 2). The fruit has an unpleasant smell, due to the presence of capronic acid, which can be removed by soaking the fruit in salted water.
Distribution
The jackfruit is of ancient cultivation in India and is now spread throughout the tropics of Asia (A. heterophyllus 3) and Africa. The Arabs took it to East Africa.
Use
The pulp of the ripe fruits is eaten fresh or dried. Unripe fruits are used as a vegetable or in soup. The large seeds are eaten boiled or roasted. The rind is fed to livestock.