.;... THE JACA. 



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THE JACA Jlrtocarpus integrifolia. 



The Jaca, or Jack, grows to the same, or even to 

 a larger size, than the bread-fruit of the Society 

 islands; but it is neither so palatable nor so nutri- 

 tious. Though its specific name implies that it is 

 entire-leafed, the leaves of it are sometimes found 

 lobed, like those of the other. The fruit often weighs 

 more than thirty pounds, and contains two hundred 

 or three hundred seeds, each of them four times as 

 large as an almond. December is the time when 

 the fruit ripens: it is then eaten, though not much 

 relished; and the seeds or nuts also are eaten, after 

 being roasted. There are many varieties of the jaca- 

 tree, some of which can hardly be distinguished from 

 the seedling variety of the true bread-fruit. The fruit, 

 and also the part of the tree on which it is produced, 

 varies with the age. When the tree is young, the 

 fruit grows from the twigs; in middle age, it grows 

 from the trunk; and when the tree gets old, it grows 

 from the roots. The sort called the Champadak is 

 more esteemed than the common Jack, or Nangka. 



