Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

made from the male flower clusters. Else\vhere Ocean. Crro\\-n tlironphout tlie tropics, the seeded
the fruits have served for fattening hogs.
variety so~neti~nes escaping from cultivation.
This tree was introduced into the \Irest Indies I'la~itetl tl~rooglio~it the West Indies and in conin
1793 from Tahiti of the Soutli Sea Islands to tinental tropicnl ~inlerica. Rare in southern
provide chettp food for slaves. It. \vns clairnetl Iplarida and fruiting only at Key West.
that tllrecz or four mature trees could provide OTIIER CO~Z~IOS ~~nr~s.--irbol de nn, palo de
starchy food to su port a man tltrougl~out tlie pnil, pan, ~'ana (Puerto Rico, Spnnis f 1) ; lnrap6n,
year. Captain ~ilfiam RligIi in tlie ship Provi- mrign, bombilltt, pichones (Puerto Rico) ; pana
dence clinrtered by tlie Britisli Government fontstera (seeclless variety, Puerto Rico) ; castaiia
brouglit plants to St. Vincent nnd Jamaica. This (seeded variety, Puerto Rico) ; bueri pan, albopin,
special expedition was undertctken to trnnspqrt Ian de frutn (Dominican Republic) ; cnstaiio del
potted plants of the seedless variety tlie grent d~s- b~trlabar (seeded vnriety, Cuba) ; mnrt~pbn, frutn
tance. tin earlier attempt with a cargo of plants de pan, pan do fr~~tn, castaiin (Guntemaln) ; rnazaon
board tlie ship Bounty fniled o~vinq to the pill1 (I-Iondurns) ; breadfruit (United States, Engfamous
lnut,iny against Captain I3ligh In 1780. lish) ; brendnut (seeded variety, English) ; cha-
Abont tlie same t~me the French brought a fern tnigne (seedecl vnriety, Trinidrtd) ; mazapitn
breadfruits to other islands of tlie West Indies. (Britisli Honclurns) ; arbre B pain, fruit B pain
Propagation is by root cuttings or layering and (French) ; arbre veritable (Haiti) ; chiitnippier,
in the seeded variety by seeds. Growth is rnpid.
TITidely cultiratecl around homes nlmost throughc~hittnignier
du pays (seedecl variety, French West
out Puerto Rico and occasionally escaping. Least Indies) ; palu di frut'i pan, broodboom (Dutch
common in the upper mountain and dry limestone \ITest Ind~es) ; broodboom (Surinam) ; fructa pBo
regions. Also in Mona, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. (Rrttzil).
,John, and Tortoln.
R~TANICA~, s~~o~~-~~s.-Artocnrpu~ cornmunix
R,~so~.-hT:ltive in islnnds of the Soutll Pacific ,T. R. & G. Forst,., A. i&u8 (Thunb.) L. f.
MULBERRY FAMILY (MORACEAE)
18. Jaca, jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.'
This cultivated relative of breadfruit is chnrac- Tlie multiple fruits, weighing 20-40 pounds,
terized by : (1) giant, elliptic, rounded or irregu- linve n hard outer covering of the enlarged female
lnr-shaped yello~v-green fruits 1-2 fwt long ant1 flowers, each nritli IL sharp conical point s/8 inch
s-1 foot in diameter, covered with sharp conical long and about 1/5 inch across at base. Within is a
points; (2) milky juice in the bark; and (3) leaves whitish fibrous pulp containing many seeds (80 to
commonly elliptic or obovate, 4-6 inches long and n pound), which are irregularly bean-shaped,
23 inches broad, dark green and slightly shiny, whitish or light brown, 1%-11, inches long. In
thick and leathery. fruit nearly through the year.
A small to medium-sized evergreen tree to 40 The mood is yellowish, darkening to brown
feet in height nncl 1 foot in trunk diameter. The upon exposure, fairly hard and resistant, taking a
gray bark is smoothish, becoming rough, fur- good polish. T~it,tle used in Puerto Rico; elserowed,
and thick (1, inch). Inner bark is light where used in cnbi~iet~ork and carpentry.
twown, gritty and almost tasteless, yielding taste- Occasionnlly plnnted in gardens, chiefly in the
less latex. The twigs are grny, with raised cities and tonvns of Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands
rounded leaf scars, ending in n dark green, nnr- for ornament, shade, or the large edible fruits,
row, pointed, minutely hairy scale (stipule) tl~ough mnch less corntnon than breadfruit. The
inch or more in length forming tlie bud. fruits, which are enten cooked as n starchy vege-
Tlie leaves nre nlternate, witli stout petioles table, have a peculiar flavor and are less palatable
1,-% inch long, T~nf blades vary in shape, some- than breaclfr~~its.
times oblong or narrow and on young plants rind R~~o~.-Native of tropical Asia from India to
shoots accasionnlly 2- or 3-lobed. h1sl:tya and Etst Indies. Widely planted in tropihfnle
and fe~nnle flowers are in different flower ctll regions, including southern Florida, West
clusters, enlnrpcl and fleshy, on t lie same tree Indies, and cont iliet~tnl tropical America.
(monoecious). The male cluster on a stalk 2 OTIIEK COMMON NAMES. - palin cimnrrona
inches long is stoutly club-shaped, 2-4 inches long, (Puerto Rico) ; jncn (Spanish) ; pan de fruta,
ellowish green, and with odor like muskmelon, buen pan, nlbopbn (1)orninican Republic) ; rima
&aring very many cro~v\.cled mnle flowers less than (Cuba) ; c:lsr:tlo ( Xienrng~~it) ; jitq~~eirn, arb1 de
5$6 inch long, each consisting of :1 2-lobed cnl~s pan (Colombia) ; jackfruit, jack (United States,
and 1 stnnleti. Fcninle flowers, very numerous III English) ; cnrttthnr (Rritisli Gt~ittna) ; jaquier
the elli >tic or rouncled femnle flower clusters, :Ire (French) ; jitcu (I3rnzil).
more t \ 18111 1/1(; inch long, composed of tubular ~~~%INIC.II, ~~~o~~ars.-Artocnrpu8 integri o-
Ilairy C~IIYS ntid pistil with 1-celled 1-ovuled ovamy, litrx nutli., not 11. f., rl. integer :inth., not ('l'liun f 1.)
slentler style, and broader yellow stigma. Xierr.
62