''Treculia'' is a genus of
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 in the plant 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 ...
that is native to west and central Africa and Madagascar. The best-known member of the genus, ''
Treculia africana'', commonly known as the African breadfruit, is used as a food plant.
The fruits are hard and fibrous, can be the size of a
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
and weight up to 8.5 kg.
Chimpanzees
The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close relative the ...
have been observed to
use tools to break the fruits into small pieces that they can eat.
Species
Five species are accepted.
[
*'' Treculia acuminata''
*'' Treculia africana''
**''Treculia africana'' var. ''africana''
***''Treculia africana'' var. ''africana'' cultivar ''Nutreculia'' Nutrecul-TRC ][Nutrecul Agroforestry - Treculia Research Center http://www.nutrecul-agroforestry.com]
**''Treculia africana'' var. ''ilicifolia''
**''Treculia africana'' var. ''inversa''
**''Treculia africana'' var. ''mollis''
**''Treculia africana'' var. ''sambiranensis''
*'' Treculia lamiana''
*'' Treculia obovoidea''
*'' Treculia zenkeri''
References
Moraceae genera
Flora of the Afrotropical realm
{{Moraceae-stub