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Tropical Plant "Breadfruit"
Artocarpus altilis
 
One of the great food producers in its realm and widely known,
at least by name, through its romanticized and dramatized history,
the breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis Fosb. (syns. A.
communis J.R. and G. Forst.; A. incisus L.f.) belongs
to the mulberry family, Moraceae. The common name is almost
universal, in English, or tanslated into Spanish as fruta
de pan (fruit), or arbor de pan, arbor del pan
(tree), or pan de pobre; into French, as fruit a pain
(seedless), chataignier (withseeds), arbre a pain
(tree); Portuguese, fruta pao, or pao de massa;
Dutch, broodvrucht (fruit), broodboom (tree).
InVenezuela it may be called pan de ano, pan de todo
el ano, pan de palo, pan de name, topan, or tupan;
in Guatemale and Honduras, mazapan (seedless), castana
(with seeds); in Peru, marure; in Yucatan, castano
de Malabar (with seeds); in Puerto Rico, panapen
(seedless), pana de pepitas (with seeds). In Malaya and
Java, it is suku or sukun (seedless); kulur,
kelur, or kulor (with seeds); in Thailand, sa-ke,
in the Philippines, rimas (seedless); in Hawaii, ulu.
The type with seeds is sometimes called "breadnut", a name better
limited to Brosimum alicastrum Swartz, an edible-seeded
tree of Yucatan, Central America and nearby areas. Its Spanish
name is ramon and the seeds, leaves and twigs are prized
as stock feed. Breadfruit Description
The
breadfruit tree is handsome and fast growing, reaching 85
ft (26 m) in height, often with a clear trunk to 20 ft (6
m) becoming 2 to 6 ft (0.6-1.8 m) in width and often buttressed
at the base, though some varieties may never exceed 1/4 or
1/2 of these dimensions. There are many spreading branches,
some thick with lateral foliage-bearing branchlets, others
long and slender with foliage clustered only at their tips.
The leaves, evergreen or deciduous depending on climatic conditions,
on thick, yellow petioles to 1 1/2 in (3.8 cm) long, are ovate,
9 to 36 in (22.8-90 cm) long, 8 to 20 in (20-50 cm) wide,
entire at the base, then more or less deeply cut into 5 to
11 pointed lobes. They are bright-green and glossy on the
upper surface, with conspicuous yellow veins; dull, yellowish
and coated with minute, stiff hairs on the underside.
The
tree bears a multitude of tiny flowers, the male densely set
on a drooping, cylindrical or club-shaped spike 5 to 12 in
(12.5-30 cm) long and 1 to 1 1/2 in (2.5-3.75 cm) thick, yellowish
at first and becoming brown. The female are massed in a somewhat
rounded or elliptic, green, prickly head, 2 1/2 in (6.35 cm)
long and 1 1/2 in (3.8 cm) across, which develops into the
compound fruit (or syncarp), oblong, cylindrical, ovoid, rounded
or pearshaped, 3 1/2 to 18 in (9-45 cm) in length and 2 to
12 in (5-30 cm) in diameter.
The
thin rind is patterned with irregular, 4- to 6-sided faces,
in some "smooth" fruits level with the surface, in others
conical; in some, there may rise from the center of each face
a sharp, black point, or a green, pliable spine to 1/8 in
(3 mm) long or longer. Some fruits may have a harsh, sandpaper-like
rind. Generally the rind is green at first, turning yellowish-green,
yellow or yellow-brown when ripe, though one variety is lavender.
In
the green stage, the fruit is hard and the interior is white,
starchy and somewhat fibrous. When fully ripe, the fruit is
somewhat soft, the interior is cream colored or yellow and
pasty, also sweetly fragrant. The seeds are irregularly oval,
rounded at one end, pointed at the other, about 3/4 in (2
cm) long, dull-brown with darker stripes. In the center of
seedless fruits there is a cylindrical or oblong core, in
some types covered with hairs bearing flat, brown, abortive
seeds about 1/8 in (3 mm) long. The fruit is borne singly
or in clusters of 2 or 3 at the branch tips. The fruit stalk
(pedicel) varies from 1 to 5 in (2.5-12.5 cm) long.
All
parts of the tree, including the unripe fruit, are rich in
milky, gummy latex. There are two main types: the normal,
"wild" type (cultivated in some areas) with seeds and little
pulp, and the "cultivated" (more widely grown) seedless type,
but occasionally a few fully developed seeds are found in
usually seedless cultivars. Some forms with entire leaves
and with both seeds and edible pulp have been classified by
Dr. F.R. Fosberg as belonging to a separate species, A.
mariannensis Trecul. but these commonly integrate with
A. altilis and some other botanists regard them as
included in that highly variable species.
Breadfruit Origin
and Distribution
The
breadfruit is believed to be native to a vast area extending
from New Guinea through the Indo-Malayan Archipelago to Western
Micronesia. It is said to have been widely spread in the Pacific
area by migrating Polynesians, and Hawaiians believed that
it was brought from the Samoan island of Upalu to Oahu in
the 12th Century A.D. It is said to have been first seen by
Europeans in the Marquesas in 1595, then in Tahiti in 1606.
At the beginning of the 18th Century, the early English explorers
were loud in its praises, and its fame, together with several
periods of famine in Jamaica between 1780 and 1786, inspired
plantation owners in the British West Indies to petition King
George III to import seedless breadfruit trees to provide
food for their slaves.
There
is good evidence that the French navigator Sonnerat in 1772
obtained the seeded breadfruit in the Philippines and brought
it to the French West Indies. It seems also that some seedless
and seeded breadfruit plants reached Jamaica from a French
ship bound for Martinique but captured by the British in 1782.
There were at least two plants of the seeded breadfruit in
Jamaica in 1784 and distributions were quickly made to the
other islands.
There is a record of a plant having been sent from Martinique
to the St. Vincent Botanical Garden before 1793. The story
of Captain Thigh's first voyage to Tahiti, in 1787, and the
loss of his cargo of 1,015 potted breadfruit plants on his
disastrous return voyage is well known. He set out again in
1791 and delivered 5 different kinds totalling 2,126 plants
to Jamaica in February 1793. On that island, the seedless
breadfruit flourished and it came to be commonly planted in
other islands of the West Indies, in the lowlands of Central
America and northern South America. In some areas, only the
seedless type is grown, in others, particularly Haiti, the
seeded is more common. Jamaica is by far the leading producer
of the seedless type, followed by St. Lucia. In New Guinea,
only the seeded type is grown for food.
It
has been suggested that the seeded breadfruit was carried
by Spaniards from the Philippines to Mexico and Central America
long before any reached the West Indies. On the Pacific coast
of Central America, the seeded type is common and standard
fare for domestic swine. On the Atlantic Coast, seedless varieties
are much consumed by people of African origin. The breadfruit
tree is much grown for shade in Yucatan.
It is very common in the lowlands of Colombia, a popular food
in the Cauca Valley, the Choco, and the San Andres Islands;
mostly fed to live stock in other areas. In Guyana, in 1978,
about 1,000 new breadfruit trees were being produced each
year but not nearly enough to fill requests for plants. There
and in Trinidad, because of many Asians in the population,
both seeded and seedless breadfruits are much appreciated
as a regular article of the diet; in some other areas of the
Caribbean, breadfruit is regarded merely as a food for the
poor for use only in emergencies.
Nowadays,
it is attracting the attention of gourmets and some islands
are making small shipments to the United States, Canada and
Europe for specialized ethnic markets. In the Palau Islands
of the South Pacific, breadfruit is being outclassed by cassava
and imported flour and rice. For some time breadfruit was
losing ground to taro (Colocasia esculenta Schott.)
in Hawaii, but now land for taro is limited and its culture
is static.
The
United States Department of Agriculture brought in breadfruit
plants from the Canal Zone, Panama, in 1906 (S.P.I. #19228).
For many years there have been a number of seedless breadfruit
trees in Key West, Florida, and there is now at least one
on Vaca Key about 50 miles to the northeast. On the mainland
of Florida, the tree can be maintained outdoors for a few
years with mild winters but, unless protected with plastic
covering to prevent dehydration, it ultimately succumbs. A
few have been kept alive in greenhouses or conservatories
such as the Rare Plant House of Fairchild Tropical Garden,
and the indoor garden of the Jamaica Inn on Key Biscayne.
Breadfruit Varieties
An
unpublished report of 1921 covered 200 cultivars of breadfruit
in the Marquesas. The South Pacific Commission published the
results of a breadfruit survey in 1966. In it, there were
described 166 named sorts from Tonga, Niue, Western and American
Samoa, Papua and New Guinea, New Hebrides and Rotuma. There
are 70 named varieties of seeded and seedless breadfruits
in Fiji. They are locally separated into 8 classes by leaf
form. The following, briefly presented, are those that are
recorded as "very good". It will be noted that some varietal
names are reported under more than one class.
Breadfruit Climate
The
breadfruit is ultra-tropical, much tenderer than the mango
tree. It has been reported that it requires a temperature
range of 60° to 100°F (15.56°-37.78°C), an annual rainfall
of 80 to 100 in (203-254 cm), and a relative humidity of 70
to 80%. However, in southern India, it is cultivated at sea
level and up humid slopes to an altitude of 3,500 ft (1,065
m), also in thickets in dry regions where it can be irrigated.
In the "equatorial dry climate" of the Marquesas, where the
breadfruit is an essential crop, there is an average rainfall
of only 40 to 60 in (100-150 cm) and frequent droughts. In
Central America, it is grown only below 2,000 ft (600 m).
Breadfruit Soil
According
to many reports, the breadfruit tree must have deep, fertile,
well-drained soil. But some of the best authorities on South
Pacific plants point out that the seedless breadfruit does
well on sandy coral soils, and seeded types grow naturally
on "coraline limestone" islands in Micronesia. In New Guinea,
the breadfruit tree occurs wild along waterways and on the
margins of forests in the flood plain, and often in freshwater
swamps. It is believed that there is great variation in the
adaptability of different strains to climatic and soil conditions,
and that each should be matched with its proper environment.
The Tahitian 'Manitarvaka' is known to be drought-resistant.
The variety 'Mai-Tarika', of the Gilbert Islands, is salt-tolerant.
'Mejwaan', a seeded variety of the Marshall Islands, is not
harmed by brackish water nor salt spray and has been introduced
into Western Samoa and Tahiti.
Breadfruit Propagation
The
seeded breadfruit is always grown from seeds, which must be
planted when fairly fresh as they lose viability in a few
weeks. The seedless breadfruit is often propagated by transplanting
suckers which spring up naturally from the roots. One can
deliberately induce suckers by uncovering and injuring a root.
Pruning the parent tree will increase the number of suckers,
and root pruning each sucker several times over a period of
months before taking it up will contribute to its survival
when transplanted. For multiplication in quantity, it is better
to make root cuttings about 1 to 2 1/2 in (2.5-6.35 cm) thick
and 9 in (22 cm) long. The ends may be dipped into a solution
of potassium permanganate to coagulate the latex, and the
cuttings are planted close together horizontally in sand.
They should be shaded and watered daily, unless it is possible
to apply intermittent mist.
Calluses
may form in 6 weeks (though rooting time may vary from 2 to
5 months) and the cuttings are transplanted to pots, at a
slant, and watered once or twice a day for several months
or until the plants are 2 ft (60 cm) high. A refined method
of rapid propagation uses stem cuttings taken from root shoots.
In Puerto Rico, the cuttings are transplanted into plastic
bags containing a mixture of soil, peat and sand, kept under
mist for a week, then under 65% shade, and given liquid fertilizer
and regular waterings. When the root system is well developed,
they are allowed full sun until time to set out in the field.
In
India, it is reported that breadfruit scions can be successfully
grafted or budded onto seedlings of wild jackfruit trees.
Breadfruit Culture
Young
breadfruit trees are planted in well-enriched holes 15 in
(40 cm) deep and 3 ft (0. 9m) wide that are first prepared
by burning trash in them to sterilize the soil and then insecticide
is mixed with the soil to protect the roots and shoots from
grubs. The trees are spaced 25 to 40 ft (7.5-12 m) apart in
plantations. Usually there are about 25 trees per acre (84/ha).
Those grown from root suckers will bear in 5 years and will
be productive for 50 years. Some growers recommend pruning
of branches that have borne fruit and would normally die back,
because this practice stimulates new shoots and also tends
to keep the tree from being too tall for convenient harvesting.
Standard
mixtures of NPK are applied seasonally. When the trees reach
bearing age, they each receive, in addition, 4.4 lbs (2 kg)
superphosphate per year to increase the size and quality of
the fruits.
Breadfruit Season
In
the South Seas, the tree fruits more or less continuously,
fruit in all stages of development being present on the tree
the year around, but there are two or three main fruiting
periods. In the Caroline Islands and the Gilbert Islands,
the main ripening season is May to July or September; in the
Society Islands and New Hebrides, from November to April,
the secondary crop being in July and August. Breadfruits are
most abundant in Hawaiian markets off and on from July to
February.
Flowering
starts in March in northern India and fruits are ready for
harvest in about 3 months. Seeded breadfruits growing in the
Eastern Caroline Islands fruit only once a year but the season
is 3 months long-from December to March. Seedless varieties
introduced from Ponape bear 2 to 3 times a year. In the Bahamas,
breadfruit is available mainly from June to November, but
some fruits may mature at other times during the year.
Breadfruit Harvesting
and Yield
Breadfruits
are picked when maturity is indicated by the appearance of
small drops of latex on the surface. Harvesters climb the
trees and break the fruit stalk with a forked stick so that
the fruit will fall. Even though this may cause some bruising
or splitting, it is considered better than catching the fruits
by hand because the broken pedicel leaks much latex. They
are packed in cartons in which they are separated individually
by dividers.
In
the South Pacific, the trees yield 50 to 150 fruits per year.
In southern India, normal production is 150 to 200 fruits
annually. Productivity varies between wet and dry areas. In
the West Indies, a conservative estimate is 25 fruits per
tree. Studies in Barbados indicate a reasonable potential
of 6.7 to 13.4 tons per acre (16-32 tons/ha). Much higher
yields have been forecasted, but experts are skeptical and
view these as unrealistic.
Breadfruit Pests
and Diseases
Soft-scales
and mealybugs are found on breadfruit trees in the West Indies
and ants infest branches that die back after fruiting. In
southern India, the fruits on the tree are subject to soft
rot. This fungus disease can be controlled by two sprays of
Bordeaux mixture, one month apart. Young breadfruit trees
in Trinidad have been killed by a disease caused by Rosellinia
sp. In the Pacific Islands Fusarium sp. is believed
to be the cause of die back, and Pythium sp. is suspected
in cases of root rot. A mysterious malady, called "Pingalap
disease", killed thousands of trees from 1957 to 1960 in the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands, the Caroline Islands, Marshalls
and Mariannas. The foliage wilts and then the branch dies
back. Sometimes the whole tree is affected and killed to the
roots; occasionally only half of a tree declines. The fungus,
Phytophthora palmivora, attacks the fruit on the island
of Truk. Phomopsis, Dothiorella and Phylospora
cause stem-end rot.
Breadfruit Toxicity
Most
varieties of breadfruit are purgative if eaten raw. Some varieties
are boiled twice and the water thrown away, to avoid unpleasant
effects, while there are a few named cultivars that can be
safely eaten without cooking.
The
cyclopropane-containing sterol, cycloartenol, has been
isolated from the fresh fruit. It contitutes 12% of the non-saponifiable
extract.
Breadfruit Other
Uses
Leaves:
Breadfruit leaves are eagerly eaten by domestic livestock.
In India, they are fed to cattle and goats; in Guam, to cattle,
horses and pigs. Horses are apt to eat the bark of young trees
as well, so new plantings must be protected from them.
Latex:
Breadfruit latex has been used in the past as birdlime on
the tips of posts to catch birds. The early Hawaiians plucked
the feathers for their ceremonial cloaks, then removed the
gummy substance from the birds' feet with oil from the candlenut,
Aleurites moluccana Willd., or with sugarcane juice,
and released them.
After
boiling with coconut oil, the latex serves for caulking boats
and, mixed with colored earth, is used as a paint for boats.
Wood:
The wood is yellowish or yellow-gray with dark markings or
orange speckles; light in weight; not very hard but strong,
elastic and termite resistant (except for drywood termites)
and is used for construction and furniture. In Samoa, it is
the standard material for house-posts and for the rounded
roof-ends of native houses. The wood of the Samoan variety
'Aveloloa' which has deeply cut leaves, is most preferred
for house-building, but that of 'Puou', an ancient variety,
is also utilized. In Guam and Puerto Rico the wood is used
for interior partitions.
Because of its lightness, the wood is in demand for surfboards.
Traditional Hawaiian drums are made from sections of breadfruit
trunks 2 ft (60 cm) long and 1 ft (30 cm) in width, and these
are played with the palms of the hands during Hula dances.
After seasoning by burying in mud, the wood is valued for
making household articles. These are rough-sanded by coral
and lava, but the final smoothing is accomplished with the
dried stipules of the breadfruit tree itself.
Fiber:
Fiber from the bark is difficult to extract but highly durable.
Malaysians fashioned it into clothing. Material for tape cloth
is obtained from the inner bark of young trees and branches.
In the Philippines, it is made into harnesses for water buffalo.
Flowers:
The male flower spike used to be blended with the fiber of
the paper mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera Vent. to
make elegant loincloths. When thoroughly dry, the flower spikes
also serve as tinder.
Medicinal
Uses: In Trinidad and the Bahamas, a decoction of the
breadfruit leaf is believed to lower blood pressure, and is
also said to relieve asthma. Crushed leaves are applied on
the tongue as a treatment for thrush. The leaf juice is employed
as ear-drops. Ashes of burned leaves are used on skin infections.
A powder of roasted leaves is employed as a remedy for enlarged
spleen. The crushed fruit is poulticed on tumors to "ripen"
them. Toasted flowers are rubbed on the gums around an aching
tooth. The latex is used on skin diseases and is bandaged
on the spine to relieve sciatica. Diluted latex is taken internally
to overcome diarrhea.
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