Jackfruit Tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

Also known as jakfruit, jak-fruit, jack tree, jak, fenne, jaca or jaqueira (Portuguese), chakka pazham (southern India), kathal (Bangladesh), kanun or khanun (Thailand), nangka (Malaysia, Philippines), khnor (Cambodia), mak mi or may mi (Laos), mit (Vietnam)

The following plant information was last updated on 9/23/2021.

Plant Type: tropical, evergreen tree

Plant Family: fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae)

Visual Identification: Jackfruit has large leathery glossy evergreen green leaves about 6 to 9 inches long. The leaves grow in an oval shape on mature wood, and sometimes oblong or deeply lobed on young shoots. Short, stout flowering twigs emerge from the trunk and large branches, or even from the soil-covered base of very old trees. Tiny male flowers are borne in oblong clusters 2 to 4 inches in length; the female flower clusters are elliptic or rounded.

Largest of all tree-borne fruits, the jackfruit may be 8 in to 3 feet long and 6 to 20 inches wide, and the weight ranges from 10 to 60 or even as much as 110 lbs. The "rind' or exterior of the compound or aggregate fruit is green or yellow when ripe and composed of numerous hard, cone-like points attached to a thick and rubbery, pale yellow or whitish wall.

The interior consists of large "bulbs" (fully developed perianths) of yellow, banana-flavored flesh, massed among narrow ribbons of thin, tough undeveloped perianths (or perigones), and a central, pithy core. Each bulb encloses a smooth, oval, light-brown "seed" (endocarp) covered by a thin white membrane (exocarp). The seed is 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick and is white and crisp within. There may be 100 or up to 500 seeds in a single fruit. When fully ripe, the unopened jackfruit emits a strong disagreeable odor, resembling that of decayed onions, while the pulp of the opened fruit smells of pineapple and banana.

Native Region(s): it is believed indigenous to the rainforests of the Western Ghats, but some authors argue that Malaysia could be the possible centre of origin.

Height: 50-70 feet

Spread: 20-50 feet

Spacing: 25-30 feet

Hardiness Zones: 9-12

Hardiness: Jackfruit leaves may be damaged at 32° F, branches at 30° F, and branches and trees may be killed at 28°F.

Light: full sun

Water: moderately drought tolerant. However, for optimum tree growth and fruit production trees should be watered during prolonged dry periods. It cannot tolerate "wet feet". If the roots touch water, the tree will not bear fruit or may die. A newly planted jackfruit tree will need watering every day until the roots establish themselves.

Soil: flourishes in loamy, moist, well-drained soil, sometimes on deep gravelly or laterite soil. It will grow, but more slowly and not as tall in shallow limestone.

Maintenance: Maintenance: After harvesting, the fruiting twigs may be cut back to the trunk or branch to induce flowering the next season.

Fertilize: monoecious and self-fertile, though seed set and many fruit characters such as size, flesh percentage and edible percentage are greatly enhanced with cross-pollination. Seedlings may take 4 to 14 years to come into bearing.

Culinary Uses: Unripe chunks are boiled in lightly salted water until tender, then the flesh is cut from the rind and served as a vegetable, including the seeds which, if thoroughly cooked, are mealy and agreeable.

Tender young fruits may be pickled with or without spices.

When the fruit is ripe, the bulbs may then be enjoyed raw or cooked (with coconut milk or otherwise); or made into ice cream, chutney, jam, jelly, paste, "leather" or papad, or canned in syrup made with sugar or honey with citric acid added. The inside of the fruit has been described as smelling of pineapple and banana. The flavor is comparable to a combination of apple, pineapple, mango, and banana. If the bulbs are boiled in milk, the latter when drained off and cooled will congeal and form a pleasant, orange colored custard.

By a method patented in India, the ripe bulbs may be dried, fried in oil and salted for eating like potato chips.

The ripe bulbs, fermented and then distilled, produce a potent liquor.

The seeds, which appeal to all tastes, may be boiled or roasted and eaten, or boiled and preserved in syrup like chestnuts. They have also been successfully canned in brine, in curry, and, like baked beans, in tomato sauce. They are often included in curried dishes. Roasted, dried seeds are ground to make a flour which is blended with wheat flour for baking. After roasting, the seeds may be used as a commercial alternative to chocolate aroma.

Where large quantities of jackfruit are available, it is worthwhile to utilize the inedible portion, and the rind has been found to yield a fair jelly with citric acid. A pectin extract can be made from the peel, undeveloped perianths and core, or just from the inner rind; and this waste also yields a syrup used for tobacco curing.

Tender jackfruit leaves and young male flower clusters may be cooked and served as vegetables.

Toxicity: The ripe fruit is somewhat laxative; if eaten in excess it will cause diarrhea. Raw jackfruit seeds are indigestible due to the presence of a powerful trypsin inhibitor. This element is destroyed by boiling or baking.

Additional Resources:

• britannica.com, "Jackfruit"
• edis.ifas.ufl.edu, "Jackfruit Growing in the Florida Home Landscape"
• fast-growing-trees.com, "Jackfruit Tree"
• gardeningknowhow.com, "Can I Grow Jackfruit From Seed – Learn How To Plant Jackfruit Seeds"
• hindawi.com, "Nutritional and Health Benefits of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.): A Review”
• npr.org, "Here's The Scoop On Jackfruit, A Ginormous Fruit To Feed The World"
• Purdue University Horticulture & Landscape Architecture College of Agriculture (hort.purdue.edu), "Jackfruit"
• thespruce.com, "How to Grow Jackfruit Trees"
• wikipedia.org, "Jackfruit"