Common Name: Champedak

General Information

Artocarpus integer is a fast-growing, evergreen forest tree with a dense, rounded crown, it can grow 10 - 24 metres tall[, ]. The short bole is up to 60cm in diameter; it is usually unbuttressed, though it sometimes has small buttresses[, , ].
The plant has a variety of uses, but is particularly valued for its edible fruit. It is sometimes cultivated for this fruit, particularly in Jamaica and Kenya[, ]. It is also much planted in forestry and sometimes grown as an ornamental[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Southeast Asia - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

A common, sub-canopy tree in secondary forests and locally abundant in primary lowland rainforest, often on wet hillsides in Thailand[]. Usually found at elevations up to 450 metres, occasionally to 1,200 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Insects, Wind
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland humid tropics, growing best at an altitude below 1,200 metres[, ], in its native range it is always restricted to regions without a distinct dry season[, ]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 38°c, but can tolerate 16 - 47°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,200 - 3,500mm, but tolerates 1,250 - 4,500mm[].
Prefers a deep, well-drained fertile soil[, ]. Young plants need some shade, but need increasing light levels as they mature[]. Prefers a fairly high water table[], it can survive periodic flooding even with acid swamp water[]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 6, tolerating 4 - 6.5[].
The tree usually fruits prolifically and is capable of very high yields[].
Seedlings start bearing fruit after 3 - 6 years; clonal trees bear after 2 - 4 years. Flowers may be found at any time of year, but bloom is concentrated around one period of the year[]. Female flower heads are found only on cauliflorous shoots; most male heads are formed on shoots in the periphery of the canopy. This may facilitate pollination by wind, although the pollen is sticky. Insects visit the scented male inflorescence, not the female ones, which lack nectar[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked. The pulp of the ripe fruit is golden-yellow, it is rather slimy and strongly odoriferous, almost like that of the durian[]. The flavour is sweet, resembling durian and mango[]. It is eaten fresh, fried with flour, or made into a type of pudding[]. The unripe fruit is used as a cooked vegetable or is added to soups[]. The fruit is up to 9cm long[]. The almost globose fruit is 20 - 35cm long x 10 - 15cm wide[]. Each fruit can weigh from 600 - 3,500g[].

Ripe seeds - roasted or boiled and eaten as a delicacy[]. Rich in starch, they have a nutty flavour[, ].

Young leaves - cooked and used as a vegetable[, ].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is well suited for reforestation projects in association with other species[].

Other Uses

A fibre obtained from the bark can be used to make rope[, , ].

A resin obtained from the tree is used as a varnishing material[].

The latex obtained from the plant has no value[]. It can be used for making lime[].

The bark contains tannin. With alum, the extract of heartwood provides a yellow dye that is moderately fast on silk. This dye is used in colouring the saffron-coloured robes of Buddhists[].

The dark yellow to brown wood is strong and durable and is used for building construction, furniture and boats[]. Sold under the trade name jack, is as strong as teak (Tectona grandis), takes a good polish, saws and works easily, and is durable under water[]. It is generally not attacked by fungi and termites[].
The wood belongs to a group of timbers known as keledang. The general description of this wood is:-
The heartwood is yellow-brown to orange-red, darkinging to golden brown; it is clearly demarcated from the 5 - 7cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is coarse; the grain straight or interlocked; there is a lustrous, ribbon-like aspect. The wood is fairly heavy, fairly hard, durable, being moderately resistant to fungi and resistant to termites and dry wood borers. It seasons somewhat slowly with a high risk of distortion and a slight risk of checking; once dry it is moderately stable to stable in service. It has a fairly high blunting effect upon tools, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide are recommended; the surface is fibrous and filling is recommended; it takes screws and nails poorly; glues correctly. The wood is used for furniture, house building, turnery, light carpentry, interior joinery and panelling, boxes and crates, boats etc[]. It is used for making high class coffins in Malaysia[].
The tree is a good fuel wood; the calorific value of moisture-free heartwood is 5369 kcal/kg of wood[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[]. The seed germinates best at a temperature of 24 - 27c[]. It can be raised by direct sowing or planting nursery-raised container seedlings[]. Fresh seeds record germination rates of about 75%[].
Root cuttings.
Air layering.

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