''Artocarpus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of approximately 60 trees and shrubs of Southeast

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

n and Pacific origin, belonging to the

mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...

family,

Moraceae Moraceae is a family of flowering plants comprising about 48 genera and over 1100 species, and is commonly known as the mulberry or fig family. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however, their ...

. Most species of ''Artocarpus'' are restricted to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

; a few cultivated species are more widely distributed, especially '' A. altilis'' (breadfruit) and '' A. heterophyllus'' (jackfruit), which are cultivated throughout the tropics.

Description

All ''Artocarpus'' species are

laticifer A laticifer is a type of elongated secretory cell found in the leaves and/or stems of plants that produce latex and rubber as secondary metabolites. Laticifers may be divided into: *Articulated laticifers, i.e., composed of a series of cells joine ...

ous

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s or

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s that are composed of leaves, twigs and stems capable of producing a milky

sap Sap is a fluid transported in the xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a s ...

. The flora type is

monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system comparable with gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy, and contras ...

and produces unisexual

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s; furthermore, both sexes are present within the same plant. The plants produce small, greenish, female flowers that grow on short, fleshy spikes. Following pollination, the flowers grow into a syncarpous

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

, and these are capable of growing into very large sizes. The stipulated

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

vary from small and entire (''

Artocarpus integer ''Artocarpus integer'', commonly known as chempedak or cempedak, is a species of tree in the family Moraceae, in the same genus as breadfruit and jackfruit. It is native to Southeast Asia. Cempedak is an important crop in Malaysia and is also pop ...

'') to large and lobed (''

Artocarpus altilis Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) believed to have been selectively bred in Polynesia from the breadnut ('' Artocarpus camansi''). Breadfruit was spread into Ocean ...

''), with the cordate leaves of the species ''A. altilis'' ending in long, sharp tips.

Taxonomy

The name ''Artocarpus'' is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

words ''artos'' ("bread") and ''karpos'' ("fruit"). This name was coined by

Johann Reinhold Forster Johann Reinhold Forster (; 22 October 1729 – 9 December 1798) was a German Reformed pastor and naturalist. Born in Tczew, Dirschau, Pomeranian Voivodeship (1466–1772), Pomeranian Voivodeship, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (now Tczew, Po ...

and J. Georg Adam Forster, a father-and-son team of botanists aboard HMS ''Resolution'' on

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

's second voyage; they used it in their book ''

Characteres generum plantarum ''Characteres generum plantarum'' (complete title , "Characteristics of the types of plants collected, described, and delineated during a voyage to islands of the South Seas, in the years 1772–1775 by Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster ...

''. It is maintained as a

conserved name A conserved name or ''nomen conservandum'' (plural ''nomina conservanda'', abbreviated as ''nom. cons.'') is a scientific name that has specific nomenclatural protection. That is, the name is retained, even though it violates one or more rules wh ...

. Although fossils of ''Artocarpus'' have been reported from as early as the Late Cretaceous, these fossils generally that lack key diagnostic characters such as that could definitively place them in the genus. The last common ancestor of all living ''Artocarpus'' likely originated in the vicinity of

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

, from which ''Artocarpus'' dispersed elsewhere in Asia and Oceania.

Subgenera

Recent phylogenetic research, based on leaf arrangement, leaf anatomical characters and stipules, indicates that there are at least two subgenera in ''Artocarpus'': *Subgenus ''

Artocarpus ''Artocarpus'' is a genus of approximately 60 trees and shrubs of Southeast Asian and Pacific origin, belonging to the mulberry family, Moraceae. Most species of ''Artocarpus'' are restricted to Southeast Asia; a few cultivated species are more ...

'': Perianth of fruit is partially connate (fused). *Subgenus '' Pseudojaca'': Perianth is entirely connate. *Subgenus ''Cauliflori'' Subgenus ''Pseudojaca'' is allied to the genus ''

Prainea ''Prainea'' is a genus of trees in the plant family Moraceae. It is sometimes treated as a subgenus of Artocarpus. It includes two species native to Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, and th ...

'', and some researchers treat this taxon as a fourth subgenus of ''Artocarpus''.

Extant species

Fossil record

Fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

leaves and fruits of †''Artocarpus dicksoni'' have been found in

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

formations of

West Greenland Kitaa, originally Vestgrønland ("West Greenland"), is a former administrative division of Greenland. It was by far the most populated of the divisions, being home to almost 90% of the total population. The divisions were de facto replaced by s ...

leaves of †''Artocarpus ordinarius'' have been found in

stratum In geology and related fields, a stratum (: strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as ...

at the south bank of the

Yukon River The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. From its source in British Columbia, it flows through Canada's territory of Yukon (itself named after the river). The lower half of the river continues westward through the U.S ...

just above

Rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * LAPD Rampart Division, a division of the Los Angeles Police Department ** Rampart scandal, a blanket ter ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

. Fossils of †''Artocarpus californica'' have been described from

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

and

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

strata In geology and related fields, a stratum (: strata) is a layer of Rock (geology), rock or sediment characterized by certain Lithology, lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by v ...

of the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

coast of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. 8

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

species of ''Artocarpus'' (†''A. capellinii'', †''A. isseli'', †''A. macrophylla'', †''A. massalongoi'', †''A. multinervis'', †''A. ovalifolia'', †''A. sismondai'' and †''A. taramellii'') from the

lower Oligocene The Rupelian is, in the geologic timescale, the older of two ages or the lower of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between . It is preceded by the Priabonian Stage (part of the Eocene) and is followed by the Chattia ...

, have been described from a fossil leaves collected from 1857 to 1889 in Santa Giustina and

Sassello Sassello (; locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about west of Genoa and about north of Savona in the northern side of the Ligurian Apennines. It is the birthplace of Blessed ...

in Central

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

.Oligocene fossil leaves of the Perrando Collection: history, preservation and paleoclimatic meaning by Maria Cristina Bonci, Grazia Vannucci, Simona Tacchino & Michele Piazza – Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana, 50 (3), 2011, 145–164. Modena, 30 dicembre 2011 – ISSN 0375-7633 – doi:10.4435/BSPI.2011.14

Uses

Several

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in the genus bear edible fruit and are commonly cultivated: Breadfruit (''

''), Cempedak (''

''), Jackfruit (''

Artocarpus heterophyllus The jackfruit or ''nangka'' (''Artocarpus heterophyllus'') is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family ( Moraceae). The jackfruit is the largest tree fruit, reaching as much as in weight, in length, and in diameter. ...

''), Kwai Muk ('' Artocarpus parvus''), Lakoocha ('' Artocarpus lakoocha''), Pudau (''

Artocarpus kemando ''Artocarpus'' is a genus of approximately 60 trees and shrubs of Southeast Asian and Pacific origin, belonging to the mulberry family, Moraceae. Most species of ''Artocarpus'' are restricted to Southeast Asia; a few cultivated species are more w ...

''), ''Anjily'' (a.k.a. Jungle Jack) (''

Artocarpus hirsutus ''Artocarpus'' is a genus of approximately 60 trees and shrubs of Southeast Asian and Pacific origin, belonging to the mulberry family, Moraceae. Most species of ''Artocarpus'' are restricted to Southeast Asia; a few cultivated species are more ...

''), Chaplaish (''

Artocarpus chama ''Artocarpus chama'' is a tree in the family Moraceae: a wild species of the breadfruit/jackfruit genus (''Artocarpus'') and may be referred to as the 'chaplaish'; its Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Viet ...

''), and Marang (''

Artocarpus odoratissimus ''Artocarpus odoratissimus'', commonly known as marang, tarap, terap or less common, johey oak, is a species of flowering plant in the Moraceae family. It is native to Borneo, Palawan, and Mindanao Island, and is closely related to the jackfruit ...

''). Breadfruit and jackfruit are cultivated widely in the tropical Southeast Asia. Other species are cultivated locally for their timber, fruit or edible seeds. Anjily, ''A. hirsutus'', is grown for fruit and

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

in the Western Ghats.

Gallery

File:Artocarpus elasticus Reinw. ex Blume - Bendo, Terap.jpg, ''Artocarpus elasticus'', Heritage Tree, Terap, Fort Canning, Singapore File:Artocarpus nitidus subsp. lingnanensis.jpg, Bark of Artocarpus nitidus subsp. lingnanensis File:Starr_030807-0064_Artocarpus_odoratissimus.jpg, Marang (''A. odoratissimus'') is in the ''Artocarpus'' subgenus.

Notes

References

*Zerega, N. J. C. and T. J. Motley. 2001. ''Artocarpus'' (Moraceae) molecular phylogeny and the systematics and origins of breadfruit, ''Artocarpus altilis''. Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting. Albuquerque, NM. August 12–16, 2001. {{Moraceae genera Moraceae genera Taxa named by Johann Reinhold Forster Taxa named by Georg Forster