Breadfruit

The Breadfruit is a tree and fruit native to the east Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean islands. It has also been widely planted in tropical regions elsewhere.

Related Topics:
Tree - Fruit - Indian Ocean - Pacific Ocean

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It was first collected and distributed by Lieutenant William Bligh as one of the botanical samples collected by HMS Bounty in the late 18th century, on a quest for a cheap high-energy food source for British slaves in the West Indies.

Related Topics:
William Bligh - HMS ''Bounty'' - 18th century - British - Slaves - West Indies

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Breadfruit grows to a height of 20 m. The large, thick leaves are, on the same tree, almost entire to deeply cut into pinnate lobes. All parts of the tree yield latex, a milky juice. This latex is used for boat caulking.

Related Topics:
Leaves - Latex

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The trees are monoecious, with male and female flowers growing on the same tree. The male flowers emerge first, followed shortly afterwards by the female flowers, growing into a capitulum. These can be pollinated three days later. The pollinators are Old World fruit bats (Family Pteropodidae). The compound, false fruit develops from the swollen perianth and originates from 1,500-2,000 flowers. These are visible on the skin of the fruit as hexagon-like disks.

Related Topics:
Monoecious - Flower - Fruit bat - Pteropodidae - Fruit

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It is one of the highest-yielding food plants, a single tree producing up to 800 or more fruits per season. The grapefruit-sized ovoid fruit have a rough surface, and each fruit is divided into many achenes, each achene surrounded by a fleshy perianth and growing on a fleshy receptacle. Some selectively-bred cultivars have seedless fruit.

Related Topics:
Fruit - Achene - Cultivar

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Breadfruits are a staple food in many tropical regions. They are very rich in starch, and before being eaten they are roasted, baked, fried or boiled. The taste is described as potato-like.

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