Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Family Moraceae) is a tree – and its fruit – native to East Indian and Pacific islands that has been widely planted in tropical regions everywhere. 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.
Breadfruit is an attractive shade tree with large leaves deeply cut into pinnate lobes. 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 varieties have seedless fruit.
Breadfruits are a staple food in many tropical regions. They are very rich in starch, and before being eaten they are roasted or boiled; the taste is described as potato-like.
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