Plant family: Moraceae
Plant origin: Asia.
Fruit description: A Jackfruit is usually huge, they are the biggest tree fruit in the world. One can weigh up to 40 kilograms. It is oval in shape and has even hard pointed bumps all over the skin. It has a strong distinctive smell when ripe, the flesh of the ripe fruit is sweet and tastes like banana and pineapple bubble-gum! The flesh around the seeds is bright yellow or orange, and crisp. The rest of the flesh is fibrous and edible. The seeds are also edible, tasting like chestnuts.
Immature Jackfruits can be cooked as vegetables, when cooked the flesh has the texture of fish.
A Jackfruit is usually huge, they are the biggest tree fruit in the world. One can weigh up to 40 kilograms. It is oval in shape and has even hard pointed bumps all over the skin. It has a strong distinctive smell when ripe, the flesh of the ripe fruit is sweet and tastes like banana and pineapple bubble-gum! The flesh around the seeds is bright yellow or orange. The rest of the flesh is fibrous and edible. The seeds are also edible, tasting like chestnuts.
Immature Jackfruits can be cooked as vegetables, when cooked the flesh has the texture of fish.
Flowers: Self-Pollinating. Jackfruits have separate Male and Female flowers on the same tree. The female flowers grow from the tree trunk, the male flowers at the branch tips. The flowers attract insects for pollination.
Growing conditions: The Jackfruit tree grows quickly to about 10 metres in height. It loves a warm, moist, sunny site. It is evergreen with big long leaves. It likes well drained soil. Once established the tree can withstand some frost, and also can tolerate drought and strong winds. Give it lots of water to get plenty of big fruits.
Uses: Jackfruit has many culinary uses. Because each fruit is so big, you may wish to freeze or dry the flesh. When you cut it especially if it is unripe, wipe your hands, the chopping board and knife with oil so the sticky latex is easier to remove.
Green unripe fruit can be used as a vegetable, cooked, curried or pickled. Ripe fruit is delicious eaten fresh. Eat the yellow or orange part around the seeds, which is called the aril. It can also be cooked into jam, jelly, desserts, chutney, fried into chips or preserved in sugar. The fibrous part is a good jam-setting agent. The dried flesh is a delicious snack with texture like dried banana. The seeds can be roasted or boiled, the flavour is like a chestnut. Jackfruit is very high in dietary fibre.
Medicinal uses:
Pollination requirements: Self-Pollinating. Jackfruits have separate Male and Female flowers on the same tree. The female flowers grow from the tree trunk, the male flowers at the branch tips. The flowers attract insects for pollination.
Harvest time For a fruit to eat ripe, pick Jackfruit when it turns from green to yellow brown.
For a fruit to cook as a vegetable, pick the fruit when green and immature, when the seeds are only half formed.
Plant relatives Jackfruit is related to Kwai Muk, Lakoocha, Breadfruit, Chempedak, Marang and Tarap which are all edible fruits.
Special features: Jackfruit timber is used to make musical instruments such as the Indonesian gamelan, and also quality furniture.
Grown by method: Seed Grown Pot size: 140mm
Plant growing Height and Width for pots or in the ground planting: Grows 10 metres high by 6 metres wide if Planted in the Ground.
Shipping plant pot or planter bag size: 140mm
