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Jackfruit

Botanical Name(s): Artocarpus Heterophyllus
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Artocarpeae
Genus: Artocarpus
Species: A. heterophyllus
Popular Name(s): Jakfruit, Jaca, Nangka
Parts Used: Seeds, fruit, leaves
Habitat: Rainforests of India

Description
The largest tree-borne fruit in the world, jackfruit (artocarpus heterophyllus) is grown on a species of tree in the mulberry family. The evergreen trees are large, often reaching a height of above 20 m. The jackfruits can sometimes weigh over 75 lbs. however, the average sized fruits are 1-2 feet long, and 9-12" wide. The exterior of the fruit is green-yellow, with small spiky knobs, while the flesh is custard yellow, with a banana-like flavor. The leaves are oblong, oval or elliptic, usually 4 to 6 inches in length and leathery, glossy and deep green in color.

There are two varieties of jackfruits: one that is small, fibrous, soft, and mushy and the carpels are sweet, with a texture like that of a raw oyster. The other variety is crisp and crunchy, but not very sweet. Jackfruits are believed to have originated in the rain forests of the Western Ghats in India. They are vegetated in other parts of India, South-east Asia, East Indies, Philippines, Brazil and Surinam also. Jackfruit is known as kanthal in Bangla, panasa in Sanskrit, katahal in Hindi, pala in Tamil and chakka in Malayalam.

Plant Chemicals
(+)- all-trans-lutein (24-44%), all-trans-beta-carotene (24-30%), all-trans-neoxanthin (4-19%), 9-cis-neoxanthin (4-19%), 9-cis-violaxanthin (4-10%)

Uses & Benefits of Jackfruit
Caution