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Artocarpus altilis
‘Breadfruit’

 

Artocarpus altilis

Common Name: Breadfruit

Origin: Southeast Asia, South India

Height: 25’+

Light: Partial to full sun

Water: Keep soil moist

Bloom: White

Comments: The breadfruit is a fast growing tree, reaching up to 80-100 ft in height. The leaves are ovate and up to 3 ft. long. They are bright green and glossy on the upper surface, with yellow veins and coated with stiff hairs on the underside. Fruit can be oblong, cylindrical, rounded or pear shaped, 3 to 18” in length. Generally the fruit is green at first, turning yellow or yellow-brown when ripe. When fully ripe, the fruit is somewhat soft, the interior is cream colored or yellow and pasty, also sweetly fragrant. All parts of the tree, including the unripe fruit, are rich in milky, gummy latex. Breadfruit can be eaten raw or cooked. It is an important source of carbohydrates or “starch” and is a dietary staple in some places, especially Polynesia. The moist inner pulp of seedless forms (breadfruit) is eaten after cooking and has the taste and texture of potatoes. The seeds of the seeded (breadnut) form are also cooked (boiled or roasted). In the West Indies, a concoction of the leaves is used to lower elevated blood pressure and to relieve asthma. The shoots, bark, and latex also have medicinal applications.