Hortiforum

General Info – African Breadfruit, Wild Jackfruit, African Boxwood

African Breadfruits are a highly nutrituous, versatile food source consumed throughout West and Central Africa. The volleyball sized fruits can exceed 8kg in weight, with a sweet, fragrant flesh that is eaten as a vegetable when young. Moreover, mature fruits however are processed for their nutrituous seeds that provide a good source of protein and fats. The spongy, mature flesh of the fruits is left to ferment then macerated to allow for easy seperation of the valuable seeds. Seeds are likened to peanuts in taste and can be roasted for consumption as a snack, or ground into a versatile flour suitable for breads. A member of the Moraceae family, commonly known as the Fig or Mulberry family, together with the likened Breadfruit. The African Breadfruit is both vigorous and more cold hardy than the common Breadfruit, being suitable for both subtropical and tropical climates making it a more viable cold tolerant choice. Native to waterways and swampy areas with deep, moist soils, plants thrive in high rainfall climates. Two trees are required for pollination which given their large mature size, will need significant space to accomodate. African Breadfruit produces year-round in ideal conditions. A large evergreen with a dense, spreading crown and foliage similar to that of the related Jackfruit. African Breadfruits are an excellent edible option for those in tropical to subtropical climates looking for a large shade tree with edible, nutritous produce.

Plant Profile/Properties