Breadnut is an evergreen tree with a spreading canopy, growing 10 - 15 metres or more tall. The bole is buttressed, it can be 100cm or more in diameter, and is usually unbranched for more than 5 metres.
The tree is commonly harvested from the wild in its native range as a source of food and materials. It is often grown in agroforestry gardens.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitat

Alluvial forests in lowland areas, it is one of the first species to appear on the tops of frequently flooded banks of rivers.

Cultivation Status

Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of low to moderate elevations in the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations from sea level to 1,550 metres.
It grows best in areas where the mean maximum temperature of the hottest month is no more than 32 - 38°c and the mean minimum temperature of the coolest month is no less than 16 - 18°c
It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,300 - 3,800mm with no distinct dry season.
Established plants can grow in full sun, but young plants need 20 - 50% shade.
Grows best in a deep, light, fertile, well drained soil.
Prefers a pH in the range 6.1 - 7.4
Plants can tolerate waterlogged soils and also periodic inundation of the soil for brief periods.
Plants can withstand strong winds and will re-sprout after sustaining wind damage.
Once established, breadnut trees can withstand a dry season of 3 - 4 months, although they prefer moist conditions.
A moderately fast-growing tree.
Trees can start producing fruit when 8 - 10 years old.
The tree has a shallow-rooting system, with roots often growing along the ground.

Edible Uses

Fruit - usually cooked.
A sweet aroma and tast.
The fruits are nutritious and usually consumed when immature; thinly sliced and boiled as a vegetable in soups or stews”
The greenish-yellow, oval or ovoid fruit is 7 - 12cm in diameter and weighs about 800g.
Seed - cooked
When roasted they are similar to chestnuts in texture and flavour. They can be canned in brine, or processed into nut butter or nut paste, flour, or oil.
The seeds are high in protein and relatively low in fat compared to nuts such as almond, Brazil nut, and macadamia nut; they are a good source of minerals and contain more niacin than most other nuts.
The seeds are about 25mm long, with from 12 - 150 seeds per fruit, each seed weighing 7 - 10g and, in total, comprising 30 - 50% or more of the total fruit weight.

Medicinal

No specific medicinal uses are reported for this species, but it trees probably has medicinal properties similar to the breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis).

Agroforestry Uses

Breadnut can be interplanted with a wide range of crops and plants, such as yam, banana (Musa spp.), coconut (Cocos nucifera), sugarcane, medicinal plants, aroids, ginger, Indian mulberry (Morinda citrifolia, noni), small fruit trees, and field and vegetable crops such as corn, beans, peanut, tomato, and eggplant.
The large leaves of breadnut provide abundant mulch for the tree and other plants growing beneath the canopy.
Breadnut naturally occurs on frequently flooded river banks, where it helps to stabilize the soil.
The tree is planted in home gardens to provide beneficial shade to other plants. It could also be used as a trellis tree for yam (Dioscorea species).

Other Uses

A sticky, white, milky latex is present in all parts of the tree.
Dried male flowers can be burned to repel mosquitoes and other flying insects.
The wood is light in weight, flexible, and easy to work and carve.
It is made into statues, bowls, fishing floats, and other objects.
The wood is fast burning, but generally only older, less productive trees are used for fuel.

Propagation

Seed - it has a very short viability and needs to be sown as soon as it is ripe.