Artocarpus altilis - breadfruit

Habitat

• Close relatives A. camansi  and A. mariannensis still in wild 
• Found in alluvial forests, lowlands, coast (NTBG 2014)
• Domesticated over 3000 years ago (NTBG 2014)
• Native to South Pacific, South Asia (Wyk 2005, 75)
• Temperate rainforest climate, dry and wet season, heavy rain and monsoon

Adaptations

• Glossy foliage to avoid dessication
• 20m + in height to out compete for sun
• Starchy fruit to promote bird and animal seed dispersion
• Strong trunk to avoid blowing over (NTBG 2014)

ecosystem

• Wild relatives make up upper canopy due to their height
• Strong trunk and buttress supports other vines/bryophytes 
• Large leaves shade animals and birds
• Starchy fruit eaten by many forest animals
• (NTBG 2014)

HUMAN USE

• Staple food for Pacific Islanders
• Carbohydrates, vitamin A, B, or C
• Eaten raw or cooked
• Seeds boiled and eaten
• Absorbs flavor of other foods

Human use

• Boats
• Carving
• Cordage
• Latex (medicinal and construction)
• Repels mosquitos (APGA Ragone 1997, 41)

Glossy foliage, deeply lobed (Wyk 2005, 75)

Fruit round to oval, up to 10 lbs (NTBG 2014)

Fruit has leathery, bumpy skin (NTBG 2014)

morphology

60 feet tall, evergreen (Hargreaves 1965, 16)

Rarity

• Not endangered in wild
• BUT: Cultivars and varieties being lost
• New cultivars can provide healthy starch for communities
• Seeds recalcitrant, must be sown immediately (NTBG 2014)
• Conservation efforts include germplasm, seed banks, live samples

Works Cited
Hargreaves, Dorothy, and Bob Hargreaves. Tropical trees. Kailua, HI: Hargreaves Co., 1965.
(NTBG) “National Tropical Botanical Garden - Tropical Plant Research, Education, and Conservation.." National Tropical Botanical Garden - Tropical Plant Research, Education, and Conservation.. http://ntbg.org/breadfruit/breadfruit/ (accessed May 29, 2014).
Ragone, Diane. "Conservation of Breadfruit Germplasm." Public Garden 12, no. 2 (1997): 41-43.
Wyk, Ben. Food plants of the world: an illustrated guide. Portland, Or.: Timber Press, 2005.