Johore jack, Monkey Jack
Artocarpus rigidus

Family: Moraceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree. It grows to 45 m high. The trunk is 120 cm across. The buttresses can be 3 m high. The twigs are 2-6 mm thick. They have reddish hairs and ring like scars. It has small oval leaves. They are 6.5-32 cm long by 3.5-15 cm wide. There are hairs on the secondary veins underneath. The young leaves are deeply lobed. There are 9-20 pairs of secondary veins which go in loops and join near the leaf edge. The leaf stalks is 1-3 cm long. The flower groups occur singly in the axils of leaves. The male heads are yellow and rounded. They are 13-20 mm across. The flower stalk is 1-6 mm long and hairy. The fruit are round or oval. They can be 10-15 cm across. They have sharp spikes over the surface. They turn yellow when ripe. The seeds are inside an orange yellow fleshy sac. This fleshy layer is sweet and edible. The seeds are oval and 12 mm long by 7 mm wide. The seeds are edible. The subspecies rigidus has leaves which are wedge shaped at the base. They are usually smooth on the upper surface.

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. In Indonesia it grows in lowland forest and up to 500 m altitude but occasionally up to 1000 m altitude. It is often near streams.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Cambodia, Fiji, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The fleshy layer around the seeds is edible. The seeds are roasted and eaten.

It is a cultivated food plant.

Edible parts

Seeds, fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed.

Its other names

Local names

Buah perian, Gias, Jelatoh, Khanun-pa, Khnao prey, Khnor prey, Kosar, Kujan, Kulidang, Kundang, Mandalika, Mentawah, Nangka pipit, Pala musoh, Peing, Pekalong, Perian, Peusar, Purian, Purin, Pussar, Puyan, Sone-padat, Tampuneh, Tapang, Taung, Tawan, Temponek, Tempun, Tempunai, Tempunik, Tempunit purian, Temputu

Synonyms

Artocarpus cuspidatus Griffith; Artocarpus dimorphophyllus Miq.; Artocarpus echinatus Roxb.; Artocarpus kertau Zoll. ex Miq.; Artocarpus muricatus Hunter ex Ridl.; Artocarpus rotundus (Houtt.) Panz.; Artocarpus varians A Miq.; Radermachia rotunda Houtt.; Saccus dimorphophyllus Kuntze;