Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. (MORACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Jackfruit, Nangka

Description

Evergreen monecious tree to 20 m tall with conical to rounded crown. Leaves 5-20 cm long, elliptic to obovate. Male flower heads barrel-shaped, 3.5-7.5 cm long, on leafy twigs or on short fruiting twigs from the trunk, female flower heads on main trunk and on large branches. Fruits 30-100 cm long, barrel or pear-shaped, cream to golden yellow, set with sharp conical warts.


Ecology

Widely cultivated in SE Asia for its edible fruits and seeds.

Distribution

Probably native in S India.

Uses

Fruits are eaten raw, seeds are sometimes roasted or boiled with a nutty flavour. It produces a light hardwood timber.