Contents
Artocarpus heterophyllus
Characteristics of jackfruit tree
Common English names: Jackfruit, Jak, Jack jackfruit,
Common name in other languages:
– Spanish: in Spanish, apart for jackfruit, it can be called poor man’s fruit, good bread, rhyme, jak tree.
– Malaysia and the Philippines: Nangka
– Thailand: Khanun
– Cambodya: Khnor
– Laos: Mak My
– Vietnam: Mit
Botanical name: Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.
Family: Moraceae
Habitat and distribution : Where to find jackfruit trees?
Native to the forests of southwest India, from where it spread throughout Southeast Asia and Asia. It is a fast growing tree that produces large fruits.
Jackfruit tree on a highway in Southeast Asia.
It is now cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries from Asia (India, Burma, Sri Lanka, southern China, Malaysia), Africa and South America (Brazil, Puerto Rico) to United States (Florida and California).
It can grow in tropical areas but it also endures the cold southern regions like Australia.
In Southeast Asian countries is is planted in avenues, cities, yards and parks as well as a tree to provide shade. It is a food source.
Jackfruit tree description
Evergreen tree related with breadfruit and fig. Jackfruit tree usually measures over 20 m. in tropical places. Noted for its dense and broad crown, with large leaves of 20 or more cm. long. These leaves are dark green, glabrous, glossy, oblong, deeply lobed or leathery.
Monoecious plant with male and female flowers in grups, growing from the same trunk or branches.
What is jackfruit fruit like?
The fruit is also known as jackfruit. Jackfuit fruits are huge, up to 90cm long, hanging from the branches and the trunk. (It is one of the world ‘s largest fruit).
The skin of this fruit is rough, green- yellow and presents sharp protrusions.
Jackfruit tree with two fruits
The flesh is yellow or orange.
When ripe, it provides an unpleasant smell. The fruit has an open odor between a banana and a pineapple.
It is considered a multiple fruit infrutescense, with numerous seeds inside (there can be up to 400 seeds in a single fruit).
Components of jackfruit
Carbohydrates (24%), protein (2%), fats (0, 3%) and fiber (2%).
Contains some essential amino acids like arginine, cystine, histidine, leucine, lysine, methionine, threonine and tryptophan.
Minerals: high in potassium, manganese, copper and magnesium. It also provides zinc, phosphorus and selenium.
Vitamin A as carotenoids (beta carotene, alphacarotenene,, crocetin)
Flavonoids and polyphenols: artocarpesine, norartocarpetin and oxyresveratrol, among Others.
Tannins in the bark (3%)
Other components: betulinic acid (fruit), jacalin (protein in the seeds), phytosterols
More information on jackfruit.
