Artocarpus elasticus

Family: Moraceae

What it is like

A large tree. It grows to 45 m high. The trunk can be 210 cm across. There are buttresses 3 m high. The bark is grey-brown and slightly scaly. The twigs are 8-20 mm thick. They have dense golden hairs. There are ring like scars. The leaves are alternate and crowded. They are stiffly leathery. They have a blunt form at both ends and are entire or lobed towards the tip. Leaves are 12.5-60 cm long by 10-35 cm wide. There are 12-14 pairs of secondary veins. The male flower parts are yellowish and finger like. They are 6-20 cm long by 2.5-3.8 cm wide. They are grooved. The flower stalk is 40-75 mm long. Female flowers are in rounded heads. The fruit are heavy. They are yellow-brown. They are 11.5 cm long by 5.5 cm wide. They have a bad smell when ripe. The seeds or nuts are short and oval and in a white gummy flesh. The seeds are 10 mm long by 6 mm wide. They are covered with a white coat. The ripe fruit pulp and seeds are edible.

There are about 50 Artocarpus species. They are in the tropics and subtropics of Asia and the Pacific.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. They occur along the Pacific coast from Quezon to Samar growing at low and medium altitudes in the Philippines. In Indonesia they are mostly below 300 m altitude but can occur up to 1500 m. It grows in the drier eastern region in Malaysia.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Brunei, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pacific, Philippines, Sarawak, SE Asia, Thailand

How it is used for food

The fleshy portion of the fruit is eaten raw. The ripe seeds are roasted and eaten.

It is cultivated as a fruit tree. The fruit are especially eaten by children.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds

How it is grown

Plants are grown by seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Bakil, Benda kebo, Benda, Danging, Ho, Kapua, Kumut, Malagumihan, Pekalong, Pilang, Pohon nangka benda, Talun, Tap, Tarap, Tarok, Tarop, Tekalong, Terap munyit, Terap nasi, Terap

Synonyms

Artocarpus blumei Trec.; Artocarpus kunstleri Hook.f.;