Appearance

• Artocarpus altilis trees and their many cultivars are semi-evergreen or evergreen depending upon their growing location; their foliage stays green all year in warm, humid climates. They can grow as high as 85 feet tall under favorable conditions. These trees have long, straight trunks topped with spreading branches and deep-green, leathery leaves. The lower surfaces of the leaves are yellowish in color and are often covered in tiny stiff hairs. Male trees produce tiny yellow blossoms that age to brown, while the female trees yield green flowers that eventually develop into large oval- or pear-shaped yellowish-brown fruits.
  
  

Uses

• Breadfruit trees are a valuable cash crop in Latin America and Africa. Growers sell the fruit to specialty and gourmet markets. Most breadfruit consumers eat the fruit roasted, boiled, fried, brined or baked and often treat it as a vegetable. The trees, which are occasionally planted as shade for understory trees such as coffee, yield a light, finely-grained wood that is used in the manufacturing of toys, storage containers and sporting equipment. Breadfruit trees also benefit the environment by adding nutrients to the soil and reversing erosion.
  
  

Cultivation

• Breadfruit trees vary in their tolerance for climatic conditions depending on the cultivar. For example, a selection called Artocarpus altilis "Mai-Tarika" can tolerate saline environments, while Artocarpus altilis "Manitarvaka," which grows in Tahiti, can adapt to drought conditions. Some breadfruit trees prefer well-drained, nutrient-rich soil, but others thrive on rugged slopes and in freshwater swamps. The seedlings generally have a slow growth rate, but most begin to flower and fruit within three to 10 years after planting.
  
  

Pests and Problems

• Many breadfruit tree cultivars do not produce seeds and only propagate by cloning, which limits the amount of breadfruit that can be successfully produced. Insect pests such as mealybugs and scale drain sap from the foliage. Phylosphora and Phomopsis fungi cause stem-end rot, while Pythium fungal infections rot the roots. Fusarium occasionally causes dieback in breadfruit trees that grow in the Pacific Islands. A mysterious malady called Pingelap disease also causes wide-scale dieback and plant death in the Pacific.