Breadfruit
Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a mulberry-family tree; its large knobbly fruit has starchy white flesh; eaten roasted, boiled, fried or in soups; also called breadfruit tree.
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Gallery
Breadfruit — IllustrationBreadfruit — Tree
Breadfruit — Leaves
Breadfruit — Leaves (2)
Breadfruit — Fruit
Breadfruit — Fruit (2)Breadfruit — IllustrationBreadfruit — TreeOverview
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), also called breadfruit tree, is a medium-sized tree of the mulberry family (Moraceae) native to New Guinea and insular Southeast Asia. It grows 12–20 m tall with a broad crown and white latex. The large leaves are alternate; on young plants they are deeply lobed like a pinnate leaf, while on mature trees the blade is 20–60 cm long and glossy above. Unisexual flowers grow on the same tree: male flowers in catkin-like spikes and female flowers in rounded heads. The fruit is a large syncarp, spherical to oval, 10–30 cm across, with a knobbly skin that turns yellow-green when ripe and creamy-white starchy flesh inside. Many cultivated forms are seedless; seeded forms bear large seeds that can be eaten roasted or boiled. Breadfruit prefers a hot, humid tropical climate with regular rainfall and fertile, well-drained soil. It is a traditional staple food of Pacific islanders; in Vietnam it is grown in the south, mainly as an ornamental and fruit tree.
Life cycle
From seed to productTree
https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Artocarpus_altilis_kz01.jpg/1920px-Artocarpus_altilis_kz01.jpg
Leaves
https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Starr-120606-7007-Artocarpus_altilis-leaves-Kahanu_Gardens_Hana-Maui_%2825144669535%29.jpg/1920px-Starr-120606-7007-Artocarpus_altilis-leaves-Kahanu_Gardens_Hana-Maui_%2825144669535%29.jpg
Fruit
https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Artocarpus_altilis_%28fruit%29.jpg/1920px-Artocarpus_altilis_%28fruit%29.jpg
Illustration
https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Breadfruit_%28Artocarpus_altilis%29%3B_fruiting_stem%2C_leaf%2C_fruit_Wellcome_V0043967.jpg/1920px-Breadfruit_%28Artocarpus_altilis%29%3B_fruiting_stem%2C_leaf%2C_fruit_Wellcome_V0043967.jpg
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- Pacific (Melanesia, Polynesia)40%
- Insular Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia)30%
- South Asia & Sri Lanka15%
- Central America & Caribbean10%
- Africa & others5%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- Water70%
- Carbohydrates (starch)22%
- Fibre4%
- Protein1.5%
- Minerals (potassium, calcium)1.5%
- Fat & vitamins1%
Uses
- Food: fruit boiled, roasted, fried or in soups and cakes; a staple on Pacific islands
- Folk medicine: leaves, bark and latex used as poultices for sores, toothache and infections
- Materials: light wood for furniture and canoes; bark fibre for weaving; latex as birdlime
- Ornamental & shade: grown as an ornamental, shade and home-garden fruit tree
Properties
- Form
- Tree with latex
- Fruit
- Large syncarp, knobbly
- Nature
- Neutral, mildly sweet
- Value
- Staple (starch), fruit, ornamental
Habitat & conservation
Breadfruit is native to New Guinea and insular Southeast Asia and has been cultivated by Pacific islanders for thousands of years. It prefers a hot, humid, sunny tropical climate with regular rainfall and fertile, well-drained soil. It is propagated by seed, root cuttings or grafting. In Vietnam breadfruit is grown in the south, mainly as an ornamental and home-garden fruit tree.
Conservation
A widely cultivated tropical species, not yet assessed by IUCN (NE). An important staple food tree of the Pacific islands. Mulberry family (Moraceae), genus Artocarpus.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg — Kew Science, 2026
- 2Breadfruit — mô tả, trồng trọt, sử dụng — Wikipedia tiếng Anh, 2026
- 3Sa kê — đặc điểm, công dụng — Wikipedia tiếng Việt, 2026
- 4麵包樹 Artocarpus altilis — 形態、用途 — Wikipedia tiếng Trung, 2026
- 5Nguồn ảnh: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz (CC BY-SA 4.0) / Forest and Kim Starr (CC BY 3.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: Pseudopanax (Public domain) / Hans Hillewaert (CC BY-SA 3.0) / Wellcome Collection (CC BY 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,