Artocarpus altilis

Breadfruit

A broad tree up to 20 m high with leaves 30-50 cm long that are thick, leathery and lobed. The greenish seedless fruits are round, mealy and about 20 cm in diameter. They are cooked or baked and used in the same way as potatoes. The trees yield heavily during the harvest season, and the excess is usually fed to pigs. The fruits can easily be dried and used for off-season feeding. The fruits are divided in the middle, and the pulp is cut into slices about 2 mm thick and sun-dried before grinding. The meal, which has a pleasant odour, is a good energy feed for all classes of livestock.

A seed-bearing variety of this species is known as breadnut. Both the seeds and the pulp are edible. The breadnut tree is distinguished from the breadfruit tree by the rougher surface of the fruits. Breadfruit fruits have greenish conical spinelike projections, whereas whole breadfruits are covered with small nipplelike protuberances.