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BULLETIN 77, HAWAII EXPERIMENT STATION 



Figure 1. — Fruit and foliage of the breadfruit. 

 ( Artocarpus communis ) % natural size. 



BREADFRUIT 



( Artocarpus communis) 



Description: The seedless variety of breadfruit commonly found 

 in Hawaii and known as the Hawaiian breadfruit, is a large round or 

 oblong fruit 4 to 8 inches in diameter. The skin, which is green in the 

 unripe stage, acquires a greenish-brown or yellow tint as the fruit 

 matures. The firm, mealy pulp is slightly fibrous and surrounds a tough 

 central core. In most varieties the flesh is light creamy-yellow and has 

 a slightly sweet odor. 



History: Breadfruit trees were brought to Hawaii from Tahiti 

 before the coming of the white man. Wilder (71, p. 100) states that the 

 first suckers were brought by Hawaiians who landed at Ewa and car- 

 ried them across the mountains to one of the chiefs of Oahu. In Ha- 

 waii the breadfruit has never been as important an article of the diet 

 as in Tahiti and other south Pacific islands (34, p. 4). Most ancient 



