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Harmless🍽️ Edible

🟡 Jackfruit

Artocarpus heterophyllus · Moraceae

🌴 Tropical
🧠 To remember it“Entire leaves, fruit on the trunk” — that's jackfruit; “lobed leaves, fruit at the branch tips” — that's breadfruit.
Jackfruit — Artocarpus heterophyllus

🔍 Identify it without mistakes

Large tree native to South Asia, now cultivated and naturalized throughout the tropical belt, producing the largest tree-borne fruit in the world (up to 35 kg) directly on the trunk and large branches. A close relative of breadfruit, it is distinguished by entire leaves (not lobed) and a strong-smelling fruit with yellow-orange flesh in sweet pods surrounding each seed.

  1. entire, oval, glossy leaves without lobes (unlike breadfruit)
  2. enormous fruit (up to 35-40 kg) with thick skin covered in small hexagonal spines, growing directly on the trunk and major branches (cauliflory)
  3. yellow-orange flesh in highly aromatic fibrous pods, with a powerful scent recalling a mix of pineapple and onion
  4. sticky white latex that beads as soon as you cut the bark or the fruit stem
Size10-20 m
Floweringyear-round under a stable tropical climate
Habitatnative to humid tropical forests of South Asia, widely cultivated and sometimes naturalized in the tropics, fertile and well-drained soil

⚠️ Not to be confused with

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)none (both are edible)

To tell them apart: breadfruit leaves are broad and deeply lobed (up to 10 lobes) while jackfruit leaves are entire and smaller; jackfruit grows directly on the trunk (cauliflory) while breadfruit hangs at the ends of branches

🍽️ Eating it

Partsflesh pods around the seeds (ripe fruit), seeds (boiled or roasted, like chestnuts), young unripe fruit (cooked as a vegetable, fibrous texture imitating meat)
Seasonvariable depending on variety, often 1 to 2 annual peaks
Tasteripe flesh is very sweet and aromatic, a mix of pineapple, banana, and mango; cooked green young fruit: neutral fibrous texture that absorbs seasonings

Preparation : oil your hands and knife before cutting the fruit because of the sticky latex; ripe fruit is eaten raw, pod by pod, removing the seed; young green fruit is cooked in curries or stews as a meat substitute; seeds must be boiled or roasted for 20-30 minutes before eating

95kcalEnergy
1.7gProtein
0.6gFat
23.3gCarbs
3gFiber
14mgVitamin C

USDA FoodData Central, raw fruit, per 100 g

💊 Healing with it

leaves and bark are undergoing preliminary research for their anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic properties

Level of evidence : limited studies — ScienceDirect Topics — Artocarpus heterophyllus

⚠️ none known for ripe or cooked fruit; latex can be irritating and sticky on the skin

🪓 Other bushcraft uses

  • dense yellow wood used in woodworking and to dye Buddhist monks' robes
  • latex used as traditional glue
Sources (2)

No entry replaces a certain identification in the field, or medical advice. When in doubt: don't eat it. If ingestion is suspected: poison control or 112/911.