Artocarpus altilis (breadfruit, "Pannoki")

Japanese name: パンノキ
Scientific name: Artocarpus altilis

[Overview]
An evergreen tree 12–18 m tall.
In regions with a dry season it sheds its leaves.
White latex comes out when the plant is damaged.
Leaves are simple and alternate, 23–60 cm long and 20–50 cm wide, deeply notched, and glossy on the surface.
The leaves are clustered at the branch tips.
There are male and female flowers, both borne in inflorescences arising from the leaf axils.
The male inflorescence is a yellow spike 15–25 cm long and 3–4 cm wide.
The female inflorescence is green, head-like to elliptical, 8–10 cm long and 5–7 cm wide.
The fruit is a globular to elliptical multiple fruit, 10–25 cm in diameter and weighing 1–4 kg.
The fruit surface has many spine-like projections.
It can be harvested 60–90 days after flowering.

[Uses]
There are seedless and seeded fruits; the seedless fruit is filled with cream-colored flesh rich in starch, which tastes like potato when cooked.
The seeded fruit has seeds and almost no flesh, and the seeds are eaten.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by root cuttings.
It is not cold-hardy, so grow it as a potted plant.
It prefers soil with good water retention.
It likes sun, but avoid direct sunlight in midsummer, which causes leaf scorch.
It is heat-tolerant and will overwinter if the temperature stays at 10°C or above, so keep it in a bright place such as by a window.
It may drop its leaves if exposed to cold.
From spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; in winter keep it on the dry side.
Also mist the leaves with water.
From spring to autumn, give liquid fertilizer once every 2 weeks, or place slow-release solid fertilizer on the soil once every 2 months.
Pests include spider mites, scale insects and aphids.

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