PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
Artocarpus integer
Moraceae FAMILY

Artocarpus integer

Artocarpus integer

Edibility
4/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthFast

A plant of the lowland humid tropics, growing best at an altitude below 1,200 metres[1, 2], in its native range it is always restricted to regions without a distinct dry season[2, 3]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 38°c, but can tolerate 16 - 47°c[4]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,200 - 3,500mm, but tolerates 1,250 - 4,500mm[4]. Prefers a deep, well-drained fertile soil[1, 3]. Young plants need some shade, but need increasing light levels as they mature[1]. Prefers a fairly high water table[3], it can survive periodic flooding even with acid swamp water[3]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 6, tolerating 4 - 6.5[4]. The tree usually fruits prolifically and is capable of very high yields[3]. Seedlings start bearing fruit after 3 - 6 years; clonal trees bear after 2 - 4 years. Flowers may be found at any time of year, but bloom is concentrated around one period of the year[2]. Female flower heads are found only on cauliflorous shoots; most male heads are formed on shoots in the periphery of the canopy. This may facilitate pollination by wind, although the pollen is sticky. Insects visit the scented male inflorescence, not the female ones, which lack nectar[2].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[1]. The seed germinates best at a temperature of 24 - 27c[1]. It can be raised by direct sowing or planting nursery-raised container seedlings[2]. Fresh seeds record germination rates of about 75%[2]. Root cuttings. Air layering. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Artocarpus+integer>

Pollinators

Insects, Wind

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  3. [3]Under-Utilized Tropical Fruits of Thailand. RAP — Suranant Subhadrabandhu · F. A. O., The United Nations, Bangkok. · 2001 · http://www.fao.org/3/a-ab777e.pdf ↩︎A detailed report on 35 fruit species that could have potential for increased production in Thailand. The report can be downloadd as a PDF from the internet.
  4. [4]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  5. [5]Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory — Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M. · U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service · 1987 ↩︎A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics.
  6. [6]Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. Vol. 40 — Harvard University; Boston, Mass. · 1959 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Contains a treatment of the genus Artocarpus, section Artocarpus. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  7. [7]Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak Vols 1 - 6 — Soepadmo E.; Saw L.G.; Chung R.C.K. (Editors) · Forest Research Institute Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur. · 2002 · ISBN 983-2181-27-5 ↩︎A flora of the woody plants of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo, often giving details of plant uses.
  8. [8]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  9. [9]Trees Commonly Cultivated in SE Asia — Jensen. M. · FAO Regional Office, Bangkok. · 1999 · ISBN 974-89377-5-5 ↩︎
  10. [10]Tropix 7 — CIRAD · http://tropix.cirad.fr/en ↩︎An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.