Artocarpus rigidus Blume
Family
Moraceae
Synonyms
Artocarpus cuspidatus Griffith, Artocarpus kertau Zoll. ex Miq., Artocarpus varians Miq.
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia | Perian, jelatoh, gias, tempunai (Peninsular Malaysia). |
| English | Monkey jack, tempunai. |
| Indonesia | Pussar (Java), mandalika, kujan (Kalimantan), tempunit, purian (Sumatra). |
Geographical Distributions
The genus of Artocarpus is native to South and Southeast Asia, New Guinea, the southern Pacific and comprises of about 50 species. A. rigidus ssp. rigidus is found in Burma, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Java; it is cultivated especially in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Description
Artocarpus rigidus is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 35 m tall with buttressed, grey bark and peels off in flakes.
The stipules are ovate-lanceolate and measure 0.5-3 cm long. The leaves are elliptic to oblong-elliptic, measuring 9-32 cm x 5-15 cm while the margin is entire or shallowly crenate. The juvenile leaves are pinnatifid. The main veins are prominent beneath.
The inflorescences are axillary and solitary. The male head is (sub)spherical and measuring 13-20 mm in diametre while the female head is with shield-shaped pubescent bracts and simple styles that exserted to about 5 mm long.
The syncarp is nearly spherical, measuring up to 7(-13) cm in diametre and dull orange. The fruiting perianths are numerous while the peduncle is 8-25(-40) mm long. The pericarp (including the seed) is ellipsoid and measuring 12 mm x 7 mm.
Ecology / Cultivation
A. rigidus grows in evergreen forests up to 500(-1000) m altitude and very often near streams.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
- Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 2: Edible fruits and nuts.
