MULBERRY FAMILY (MORACEAE) 



Key to the S species illustrated (Nos. 18-24) 



A. Leaves deeply lobed, very large. 



B. Leaves umbrellalike, rciuuded with 7-11 rounded lobes: jietiole very long — 20. Cecropia peltata. 

 BB. Leaves elliptic, with 7-11 long-pointed lobes ; petiole short — 17. Artocarpus altilis.* 



AA. Leaves not lobed. 



C. Leaves hairy, oblong, edges with tufts of hairs appearing like minute teeth — 19. Castilla elastica.* 

 CC. Leaves hairless or nearly so, edges not toothed. 



D. Leaves elliptic or obovate, rounded at apex ; fruit very large, elliptic or rounded — 18. Artocarpus 

 heterophylUis* 

 DD. Leaves various, short- or long-pointed at apex ; fruit small, figlike. 



E. Leaves with 3 main veins from base, elliptic to diamond-shaped — 23. Ficus retusa* 

 EE. Leaves with 1 main vein or midrib. 



F. Leaves with 6-10 lateral veins on each side of midrib — 22. Ficus laevigata. 

 FF. Leaves with many straight, parallel, lateral veins. 



O. Leaves abruptly short-i)ointed at aitex. rounded at base, 4-12 inches long — 21. Ficus elastica.* 

 GG. Leaves short-pointed at both ends, 1V4-3 inches long — 24. Ficus sintenisii. 



17. Panapen, pana de pepitas, breadfruit 



Breadfruit is a handsome tree planted for its 

 edible fruits and attractive foliage. It is easily 

 recocfnized by: (1) the very large, deeply 7-11- 

 lobed, .shiny dark green leaves about li/o (l--^) 

 feet long; (2) the milky juice that exudes from 

 the bark when cut; and (3) the yellowish-green 

 rounded or elliptic fruits 4-8 inches long. Two 

 varieties are distinguished: panapen being the 

 common seedless variety, and pana de pepitas the 

 variety with seeds. 



A medium-sized spreading evergreen tree to 60 

 feet high and 2 feet or more in trunk diameter, 

 with relatively few stout branches. The brown 

 bark is smooth, with warty dots (lenticels) . Inner 

 bark is whitish and almost tasteless, with white, 

 slightly bitter latex. The very stout twigs i^^-l 

 incli in diameter are green and minutely hairy, 

 with rings at nodes, and end in a large, pointed, 

 finely hairy l)ud 5 inches or less in length, formed 

 by a big scale (stipule) around the developing leaf. 



Ijeaves are alternate on very stout green petioles 

 1-2 inches long. The leaf blades are elliptic in 

 outline, 9-20 inches across, the pinnate lobes long- 

 pointed, short-pointed at base, slightly thickened, 

 the upper surface nearly hairless except along 

 veins, and the lower surface lighter green and 

 finely hairy at least on veins. The 2 varieties differ 

 slightly in leaf shape and hairiness. Ivcaves of the 

 seeded variation are less deeply lobed, have usually 

 9 or 11 lobes instead of the 7 common in the seed- 

 less variety, and are more hairy, bristly hairy on 

 veins above and finely and roughly hairy on lower 

 surface. 



Flowers are very numerous and minute, the 

 male and female on the same tree (monoecious) in 

 separate thick, fleshy clusters single at leaf bases 

 on stalks about 2 inches long. The male cluster is 

 a cylindrical or club-shaped soft mass about 5-12 

 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, yellowish and 

 turning brown. Male flowers Vj^, inch long, con- 

 sisting of 2-lobed calyx and 1 stamen, are crowded 

 on the outside. The female flower cluster is ellip- 

 tic or rounded, about 21/0 inches long and li/o 

 inches in diametei- oi- larger, light green. In tlie 



Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg* 



variety with seeds the female flowers are % inch 

 long and Wq inch acros.s, composed of a tubular, 

 conelike and pointed, hairy calyx projecting 14 

 inch and pistil with a sunken 1-celled 1-ovuled 

 ovary and 2-lol5ed style. The seedless variety has 

 sterile female flowers projecting only about %2 

 inch. 



The multiple fruits are covered with individual 

 fruits and contain a whitish starchy pulp formed 

 from the enlarged stalk (receptacle). In the 

 .seeded variety the fruit surface is composed of 

 greenish conical .spinelike projections, each from 

 a single flower, and there are several large brown 

 edible seeds. The seedless variety has a smoothish 

 surface honeycombed with individual fruits about 

 %Q inch across. Flowers and fruits are borne 

 throughout the year. 



The sapwood is light yellow to yellowish brown, 

 and the heartwood golden colored, sometimes 

 flecked with orange. The wood is very soft, light- 

 weight (.specific gravity 0.27), yet quite firm and 

 strong for its weight. It is very susceptible to 

 attack by dry- wood termites. There are numer- 

 ous large pores but no growth rings. Rate of air- 

 seasoning and amount of degrade are moderate. 

 Machining characteristics are as follows: planing 

 is fair; shaping, turning, boring, and mortising 

 are very poor; sanding is poor; and resistance to 

 screw splitting is excellent. 



The wood is little used in Puerto Rico except 

 occasionally for interior partitions. Nevertheless, 

 it is suitable for boxes, crates, light construction, 

 and toys. Surf boards were made from the light 

 wood in Hawaii. 



The trees are also attractive for ornament and 

 shade. In periods of prolonged drought the 

 leaves have been cut to provide forage for cattle. 

 The sticky sap has been used in some places to 

 catch birds. 



Fruits are gathered before maturity and roasted 

 or boiled as a starchy vegetable, those of the seed- 

 less variety lieing preferred. Or the young fruits 

 can be sliced and fried. Also, the seeds are boiled 

 or roasted. A dessert and preserves are sometimes 



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