<>The Jackfruit <>/

<>Plants of Asian Rainforests: <>
<> The Jackfruit ( Artocarpus heterophylus Lamk) is a fruit found mainly in the rainforests of Thailand. They are as a yellow or greenish color. On the surface Jackfruits feel rough, and sometimes "warty". Each of the seeds of a Jackfruit are about the size of a pigeons egg , and there are about 100 of them in just one Jackfruit! The smell of a Jackfruit is extremely sweet and has the distinct smell of bananas. One Jackfruit can weigh from 30 to 40 pounds!
<> Jackfruit
<>  Jackfruit is the worlds largest tree fruit and loved in many parts of the world for it's sweet unique flavor
(kathal) a large fruit of a milky-juice tree, Artocarpus heterophyllus, of family Moraceae. The fruit, botanically named sorosis, is a modification of the entire pistillate catkin and contains 100-500 large, oily seeds. The edible, pulpy part represents the parianth. It is designated as the national fruit of Bangladesh. The close relatives of jackfruit are champedak (A. champenden), monkey jack (A. lakoocha), and breadfruit (A. altilis). Of these, monkey jack is grown in Bangladesh. Jackfruit originated in the forests of the Western Ghats (India), where it still grows in the wild, as well as in the evergreen forests of Assam and Myanmar. The plant is now grown throughout the lowlands of the tropics and the subtropics. It is seen throughout Bangladesh but is grown in abundance in Naogaon, Dinajpur, Savar, Madhupur and Sylhet.

<> The jackfruit plant is an evergreen tree, 9 to 25 m high, and possesses milky latex in all parts. Its stems are straight, branching near the base, and forming dense, irregular crowns. The staminate flowers are borne in slender, dropping catkins formed at the end, or leaf axils of small branches. The jack plant flourishes best in a humid, warm climate, requires plenty of soil moisture, open textured deep-alluvial soil, and good drainage. Fruits contain vitamins A and C, while the seeds contain carbohydrate, protein and fat. The juicy pulp of the ripe fruit is eaten fresh, as a dessert, or is preserved in syrup. The seeds are eaten cooked, roasted or fried. The young fruit is consumed as a vegetable and also made into pickles. The leaves and rind of the fruit are fed to livestock. The wood is used for making furniture and musical instruments.

<><> JACKFRUIT<><> 

<>Artocarpus heterophyllus LamMoraceae,<>

<> Common Names: Jackfruit, Jakfruit, Jaca, Nangka.
Related Species: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), Breadnut (A. altilis 'Seminifera'), Champedak (A. integer), Lakoocha (A. lakoocha), Marang (A. odoratissimus). Distant affinity: Figs (Ficus spp.), Mulberries (Morus spp.), African Breadfruit (Treculia african).

<> Origin: The jackfruit is believed indigenous to the rain forests of the Western Ghats of India. It spread early on to other parts of India, southeast Asia, the East Indies and ultimately the Philippines. It is often planted in central and eastern Africa and is fairly popular in Brazil and Surinam.

<> Adaptation: Jackfruit is adapted to humid tropical and near-tropical climates. Mature trees have survived temperatures of about 27? F in southern Florida, but these were frozen to large limbs. Young trees are likely to be killed at temperatures below 32? F. Unlike its relative, the breadfruit, the jackfruit is not injured by cool weather several degrees above freezing. There are only a dozen or so bearing jackfruit trees today in southern Florida, and these are valued mainly as curiosities. There are also several trees planted in the Asian exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. What they will do or how high they will grow remains a question. The tree is too large to make a suitable container-grown plant.

 <> DESCRIPTION
<>  Growth Habit: The jackfruit tree is handsome and stately. In the tropics it grows to an enormous size, like a large eastern oak. In California it is very doubtful that it would ever approach this size. All parts contain a sticky, white latex.
Foliage: The leaves are oblong, oval, or elliptic in form, 4 to 6 inches in length, leathery, glossy, and deep green in color. Juvenile leaves are lobed.

<> Flowers: Male and female flowers are borne in separate flower-heads. Male flower-heads are on new wood among the leaves or above the female. They are swollen, oblong, from an inch to four inches long and up to an inch wide at the widest part. They are pale green at first, then darken. When mature the head is covered with yellow pollen that falls rapidly after flowering. The female heads appear on short, stout twigs that emerge from the trunk and large branches, or even from the soil-covered base of very old trees. They look like the male heads but without pollen, and soon begins to swell. The stalks of both male and female flower-heads are encircled by a small green ring.

 <> Fruit: Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, reaching 80 pounds in weight and up to 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter. The exterior of the compound fruit is green or yellow when ripe. The interior consists of large edible bulbs of yellow, banana-flavored flesh that encloses a smooth, oval, light-brown seed. The seed is 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick and is white and crisp within. There may be 100 or up to 500 seeds in a single fruit, which are viable for no more than three or four days. When fully ripe, the unopened jackfruit emits a strong disagreeable odor, resembling that of decayed onions, while the pulp of the opened fruit smells of pineapple and banana.

<> There are two main varieties. In one, the fruits have small, fibrous, soft, mushy, but very sweet carpels with a texture somewhat akin to a raw oysters. The other variety is crisp and almost crunchy though not quite as sweet. This form is the more important commercially and is more palatable to western tastes.

<>  <>Harvest: Jackfruits mature 3 to 8 months from flowering. When mature, there is usually a change of fruit color from light green to yellow-brown. Spines, closely spaced, yield to moderate pressure, and there is a dull, hollow sound when the fruit is tapped. After ripening, they turn brown and deteriorate rather quickly. Cold storage trials indicate that ripe fruits can be kept for 3 to 6 weeks at 52? to 55? F and relative humidity of 85% to 95%. Immature fruit is boiled, fried, or roasted. Chunks are cooked in lightly salted water until tender and then served. The only handicap is copious gummy latex which accumulates on utensils and hands unless they are first rubbed with cooking oil. The seeds can also be boiled or roasted and eaten similar to chestnuts. In Southeast Asia dried slices of unripe jackfruit are sold in the markets. The ripe bulbs, fermented and then distilled, produce a potent liquor.

<><> CULTIVARS
In Malaysia and India there are named types of fruit. One that has caused a lot of interest is Singapore, or Ceylon, a remarkable yearly bearer producing fruit in 18 months to 2-1/2 years from transplanting. The fruit is of medium size with small, fibrous carpels which are very sweet. It was introduced into India from Ceylon and planted extensively in 1949. Other excellent varieties are Safeda, Khaja, Bhusila, Bhadaiyan and Handia. In Australia, some of the varieties are: Galaxy, Fitzroy, Nahen, Cheenax, Kapa, Mutton, and Varikkha. None of these appear to be available in the US at this time.
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