64 The Philippine Journal of Science wis 



branches, oblong, compound, green, muricate, containing many 

 rather large seeds, each surrounded by the edible pulp. Tropical 

 Asia. 



The name "jak" was given by the early Portuguese from the 

 Malay tsjka. It is the largest of Philippine fruits, and attains 

 a remarkable size. Specimens have been reported from Ceylon 

 and India that weighed over 50 kilograms, although the usual 

 size found in the markets is nearer 20. The fruit, or more 

 properly infructescence, is of irregular shape, with the green sur- 

 face broken up into roughly hexagonal knobs. The outer skin 

 exudes a sticky, milky juice when cut that contains a small 

 amount of caoutchouc. The interior of the fruit is yellow to 

 cream color, and is divided into segments each containing a seed. 

 The pulp has a strong odor said to be due to ethyl butyrate, and 

 a rather sickening sweet taste that seldom finds favor with 

 Europeans. The fruit is popular with the Filipinos, and is eaten 

 both cooked and as gathered. It is roasted or baked, and also 

 preserved with sugar as a sweetmeat. 



Throughout the western coast of India and in lower Burma, 

 jak is the chief fruit during the hot weather. When the syn- 

 carps mature, the fleshy arils are readily separated. They may 

 be eaten at once, fermented to give an alcoholic beverage, or 

 dried in the sun. This produces chips that are easily preserved 

 until needed, and may then be boiled with salt to furnish a 

 satisfactory food. 



The seeds contain a large amount of starch, and are eaten 

 after roasting, when they resemble Italian chestnuts. Flour 

 may be made from the mature seeds, a single fruit of average 

 size giving about 1 kilogram of chips and half as much flour. 

 The entire tree, but especially the wood, contains a yellow dye 

 of slight importance in India and Burma. 



BREADFRUIT 



ARTOCARPUS COMMUNIS Forst. (A. rima Blanco.) Breadfruit; Rima, 

 Rimo, T.; Pakak, II. 



A medium-sized tree with large, pinnately incised leaves. 

 Fruits globose, green, muricate, compound, 10 to 12 centimeters 

 in diameter, seedless, the pulp rather stringy, soft. Polynesia. 



The ripe pistillate inflorescence forms one of the chief native 

 foods in the South Sea Islands where it reaches a perfection 

 and excellence never attained in the Philippines. The structure 

 of the fruit resembles the jak, and the edible flakes are similarly 



