Breadfruit Database

Artocarpus mariannensis

Geographic Distribution

Region: Micronesia | Country: Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) | Collection Site: Pohnpei Island; Rota; Guam; Saipan
Distribution: Palau, Guam, Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Hawai'i

Plant Characteristics

Fruit

Shape: Irregular

Skin Texture: Flattened pebbly

Flesh Color: Creamy, Light yellow, Yellow

Weight (g): 313 avg (102 min - 468 max)

Edible Portion (%): No Information

Length (cm): 11 avg (7 min - 14 max)

Width (cm): 8 avg (7 min - 10 max)

Core Length (cm): 7 avg (5 min - 10 max)

Core Width (cm): 3 avg (2 min - 4 max)

Seeds: Seeded

Leaves

Length (cm): 29 avg (22 min - 39 max)

Width (cm): 18 avg (12 min - 27 max)

Lateral Lobe Count: 1 avg

Male flowers

Length (cm): 19 avg (8 min - 34 max)

Width (cm): 3 avg (2 min - 4 max)

Notes:

This wild seeded breadfruit relative is native to Palau and the Mariana Islands where it grows in limestone and ravine forests from the coast to lower mountain slopes. It is distributed through its natural range by fruit bats. Wild populations are seriously declining due to typhoon damage, predation by feral deer, and the disappearance of fruit bats. It has naturally hybridized with A. altilis and the numerous interspecific hybrid varieties are considered to be ‘breadfruit’, whether they are seeded or seedless.

Collected By Zerega, Nyree, Diane Ragone, K. R. Wood

Herbarium Specimens

Field Collected

Garden Collected

PTBG1000098276 (David H. Lorence, 10989)

Seasonality in Hawai'i

Average seasonality profile, where each colored line represents an individual tree observed monthly for full-sized, mature, and ripe fruit over a 10-year period at Kahanu Garden on Maui

Collection Site

Map shows a generalized GPS point based on collection site location; exact origin may differ.

Geographical Information

Geographical information associated with living collections accessions at botanical gardens includes details on the native origin, collection site, and habitat of each plant. This data helps track the genetic diversity, ecological preferences, and conservation status of species. Accurate geographical records support research, restoration efforts, and the cultivation of plants in environments similar to their natural habitats.

Morphological Measurements

Measurements were taken 10 times for each tree or group of trees of a particular variety, using 10 individual fruits, male flowers, and leaves, respectively (Ragone & Wiseman, 2007). The following were selected for measurement:

Leaves: The third fully expanded leaf from the tip of a mature branch.

Fruit: Mature, firm, but not yet ripe fruit.

Male Flowers: Fully emerged male flowers.

Seasonality

Over a 10-year period, fruiting seasonality was observed in the breadfruit collections at Kahanu Garden (Maui) and McBryde Garden (Kaua‘i) within the National Tropical Botanical Gardens (Liu et al., 2014). Tree canopies were visually examined for the presence of full-sized, mature, and ripe fruit.

Full-sized fruit: Fruit at maximum size but not yet mature.

Mature fruit: Fruit displaying distinctive characteristics of maturation.

Ripe fruit: Fruit that were soft and ripe on the tree.

References

Jones, A. M. P., Murch, S. J., Wiseman, J., & Ragone, D. (2013). Morphological diversity in breadfruit (Artocarpus, Moraceae): Insights into domestication, conservation, and cultivar identification. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 60(1), 175–192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-012-9824-8

Liu, Y., Jones, A. M. P., Murch, S. J., & Ragone, D. (2014). Crop productivity, yield and seasonality of breadfruit (Artocarpus spp., Moraceae). Fruits, 69(5), 345–361. https://doi.org/10.1051/fruits/2014023

Ragone, D. & Wiseman, J. (2007). Developing and Applying Descriptors For Breadfruit Germplasms. Acta Hortic, 757, 71–80. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.757.8

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