Gardening with Tropical Fruit

The Breadfruit

By Gene Joyner, Extension Agent
Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service

Sometimes some of the most popular tropical fruits in the tropics are difficult to grow here in Florida and probably one of the most challenging to grow is the breadfruit (Artocarpus communis) which is undoubtedly one of the most handsome trees in the tropics, but unfortunately one of the most tropical.

It is thought to have originated in Malaysia and carried to most of the South Pacific islands by Polynesian migrations and from there has been spread around the world and is now found in most tropical regions almost everywhere. It’s a type tree which is a very handsome specimen in the landscape.

In the tropics trees 60 to 80 feet are not unusual, however here in Florida probably 25 to 40 feet in areas where they are grown is more likely seen. The trees have large leaves that can be from one to three feet in length and divided into several deep cut lobes.

The fruits which form are very distinctive and can be up to 5 or 8 inches long and 4 to 6 inches thick almost resembling citrus fruit. The weights on these fruit can range from 2 to 10 pounds and the yellowish-green rind fruit take several months to mature.

At maturity the edible portion of the fruit is the white or yellowish pulp which is either boiled as a vegetable or roasted. When roasted it does resemble bread in flavor which gives it the common name of breadfruit. The large seeds in the fruits are also edible and are commonly roasted or boiled and the flavor is said to resemble chestnuts.

Breadfruit grow rapidly, often 3 to 5 feet a year when young, but being very tropical they do not survive well in temperatures below about 45 degrees. This limits their outdoor growing in Florida to the Florida Keys or very protected areas on the southern coast.
Sometimes when several mild winters occur people will get trees growing in areas further north, but then a normal winter occurs and the trees are killed back to the ground. People that have the means to protect them with small greenhouses or other structures and heat them during the winter can grow them virtually anywhere, however the trees must be kept small.

In addition to the seedless form there is also one called the bread nut which has most of the edible flesh missing and is filled with large seeds. This tree is not quite as popular in some areas as the seedless variety.

Trees have few problems with pests or diseases and can be grown almost anywhere where weather permits.

Propagation of breadfruit is by air layers or by root sprouts and there are many named varieties in tropical regions with slightly different characteristics. Some forms have a more yellow pulp, while others are more white and in the seeded varieties some types have larger or smaller size seeds depending on the variety.

Trees seem to grow over a wide range of soil types and can tolerate slight amounts of salt spray close to coastal areas. Although drought tolerant trees should not be allowed to stay water stressed for long periods otherwise abortion of developing fruit and a slowdown in flower production will occur.

In landscapes where they are grown outdoors they should be fertilized two to three times a year with a good balance of fertilizer containing all micro nutrients similar to types used on other tropical fruits.