Artocarpus odoratissimus

Eric in SF@Flickr is not only responsible for today's photograph (original | BPotD Flickr Group Pool), but also for suggesting a series on tropical fruits. Sounds like a good idea to me, though I have few (if any) photographs to add to the mix since my trip to a tropical area was postponed by a year. If you have any tropical fruit images, it'd be an ideal time to add them to the Flickr pool or BPotD submissions forum. Thanks again, Eric!

The genus Artocarpus is a member of the Moraceae, or mulberry family (sometimes called the fig family). In addition to the marang shown in today's image, the genus includes the better-known breadfruit and jackfruit. Unlike the jackfruit, however, the fruits of marang are relatively light and small, weighing only 1kg (2.2 lbs). Not a number of fruits can compare to the 50 kg jackfruit in size, though.

Marang is a local delight in the regions where it is grown. As noted in the Under-Utilized Tropical Fruits of Thailand (where it is cultivated; the species is native to Borneo and the Philippines), Artocarpus odoratissimus “has low yield and short shelf-life as in comparison to jackfruit”, making broader distribution of the fruit as an economic crop difficult. Too bad in some ways, as it seems to be the highest-prized fruit among the genus.

The USDA's Pacific Basin Tropical Plant Genetic Resources unit has a series of photographs of fruits in the breadfruit genus, including marang. Posted by: Daniel Mosquin    Source