African Breadfruit or Breadnut
Treculia africana

Family: Moraceae

What it is like

Treculia africana, otherwise known as African Breadfruit, is a tropical, evergreen tree growing up to 30 m in height. It has a dense, spreading crown and a fluted trunk covered with dark gray and smooth bark. When cut, the thick bark produces white latex that turns rusty red. The leaves are huge, dark green, simple, and alternate. The flowers are yellow brown, occurring in the axis of leaves or on older wood down to the trunk. The fruits are huge, round, hard, and compound. Each fruit can weight up to 8.5 kg. Each fruit contains many orange seeds in a spongy pulp. Medicinally, the plant is used in the treatment of coughs, swellings, and leprosy, and as a laxative, anthelmintic, and febrifuge. Seeds can be cooked, either roasted or boiled. Powdered seeds are made into a non-alcoholic beverage. The seeds also yield edible oil. African Breadfruit is used in soil conservation projects for its leaves are great source of green manure. The wood is suitable for pulp and paper making, for fuel and charcoal, and for furniture, carving, turnery, and inlay wood. Plants are grown from seeds or stem cuttings.

Treculia africana is an evergreen Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 30 m (98ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. Suitable for: medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 30

Where it is found

Usually found near streams or in swampy areas in forests at an altitude up to 1,500 metres. Riverine, mixed evergreen and swamp forests, woodlands, sea level to 1,300 metres.

Tropical Africa - Senegal to southern Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, south to northern Angola, Zambia, Mal

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Uganda; Tanzania, United Republic of; Madagascar, Africa, Angola, Australia, Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa, CAR, Central African Republic, Congo DR, Congo R, East Africa, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, West Africa,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Seed - cooked. A flavour similar to peanuts. Eaten as dessert nuts after roasting or boiling, they are also ground into a meal, used in soups and to produce a variety of baked foods such as bread and paste. The seeds are extracted after macerating the fruit in water. The grains have an excellent polyvalent dietetic value - the biological value of its proteins exceeds even that of soybeans. Numerous seeds about 8mm long are embedded in a massive fruit that can weigh up to 14 kilos. A non-alcoholic beverage, almond milk, can be prepared from the powdered seeds, which is recommended as a breakfast drink in Nigeria. An edible oil can be extracted from the seed.

Oil: Oil

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Milk: made from plants, that is.

Medicine

Rating: 2

In Ghana, a root decoction is used as an anthelmintic and febrifuge. The caustic sap of male African breadfruit is applied on carious teeth. A decoction of the bark is used in the treatment of cough and whooping cough. The ground bark, mixed with oil and other plant parts, is used in the treatment of swellings. It is also used in the treatment of leprosy and as a laxative.

Anthelmintic: Expels parasites from the gut.

Antitussive: Prevents or relieves coughing.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Laxative: Stimulates bowel movements in a fairly gentle manner.

Leprosy: Used to treat leprosy - a chronic bacterial infection of the skin and superficial nerves (in the skin) caused by Mycobacterium leprae.

Odontalgic: Treats toothache (temporary measure only) and other problems of the teeth and gums.

Other

Rating: 2

Shade tree. Fruiting tree. Humid shade garden. Botanical collection. Agroforestry Uses: The tree has been used in soil conservation programmes. The leaf fall is a good source of mulch. It has also been recommended as a promising species for use in home gardens, and for intercropping systems in agroforestry. Other Uses The heartwood is yellow with very narrow pale sapwood; very dense, fairly elastic and flexible, rather heavy, with fine, even structure. It is suitable for furniture, carving, turnery and inlay wood. It is suitable for pulp and papermaking. The wood is used for fuel and making charcoal.

Charcoal: Used for fuel, drawing, deodorant, filter, fertilizer etc.

Fencing: Plants that can be used for fencing.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

Mulch: Used for covering the ground to conserve the nutrients in the soil.

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

Paper: Related to the entry for Fibre, these plants have been specifically mentioned for paper making.

Soil conditioner: Plants grown to improve the structure of the soil. See also Green manures.

Teeth: Plants used to clean and care for the teeth.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Agroforestry Services: Living fence: Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

New Crop: Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers. Examples include baobab, argan, and buffalo gourd.

Staple Crop: Protein: (16+ percent protein, 0-15 percent oil). Annuals include beans, chickpeas, lentils, cowpeas, and pigeon peas. Perennials include perennial beans, nuts, leaf protein concentrates, and edible milks.

Agroforestry Services: Living fence: Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

New Crop: Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers. Examples include baobab, argan, and buffalo gourd.

Staple Crop: Protein: (16+ percent protein, 0-15 percent oil). Annuals include beans, chickpeas, lentils, cowpeas, and pigeon peas. Perennials include perennial beans, nuts, leaf protein concentrates, and edible milks.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Tolerant of a wide range of climatic conditions, it will thrive in most tropical and subtropical regions at elevations up to 1,500 metres. It is found in areas where the mean annual rainfall is within the range 1,250 - 3,000mm, and the mean annual temperature ranges from 22 - 35°c. Prefers a rich, deep, moisture-retentive soil and a position in partial shade or full sun. It is not a very light demanding plant, and will grow in a wide variety of soils. Plants start to fruit when about 4 years old. Under favourable climatic conditions and in a good soil, 120 - 200 kilos of dried grains can be harvested in a year from each tree; this would translate to between 5 - 10 tonnes per hectare. A fairly fast-growing tree. There is a striking variation in the number of fruit heads produced by trees belonging to T. Africana var. africana (with large fruit heads) and T. Africana var. inversa (with small fruit heads). The former is clearly superior in the weight of seeds produced while the latter produces more fruit and also produces twice as many branches. Bloom Color: Cream/Tan. Spacing: 8-10 ft. (2.4-3 m).

Propagating it: Propagation is by seedlings, which are sown in pots, and direct spot sowing at site. Pre-treatment of seeds is not necessary. It is also propagated through budding, cuttings and shield grafting. Using adult scions, budded trees have produced fruits with viable seeds within 2-4 years. With juvenile cuttings, one can obtain 69% rooting. Where climatic conditions are favourable, fruit collection is possible throughout the year

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Medium

Soil: Medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

The sap of the male tree is caustic and toxic, though the sap from female trees is used medicinally.

Its other names

Local names

Afon, Bala, Becuae, Bombimbo, Bongo, Buloio, Busaka, Ediang, Etoup, Guibinte, Guilinte, Ize, Limbimbo, Lyaja, Maja, Majaja, Mant-champudje, Mantchambe, Mantchambo, Maya, Mbusa, Mfeseni-pori, Mjaya, Mjaya, Mozinda, Muloli, Mululu, Mutchaia, Muzinda, Mwaya, N'sempe, Njale, Njayi, Oimbo, Oimo, Okwa, Ombimbo, Opiso, Pusa, Pushia, Senhe, Sobsob, Tchaia, Toum, Ukwa, Yaya, Zilo,

Synonyms

Artocarpus africana Sim. Ficus welwitschii Miq. Ficus whytei Stapf Treculia affona N.E.Br. Treculia