Wild jack

What it is

Its scientific name is Artocarpus hirsutus. The round or oval fruit has a covering of pointed spines, with white, oval seeds inside. What looks like one fruit has formed from a whole cluster of flowers growing together. The fleshy, juicy flower parts become the portion you eat, much as they do in jackfruit.

Where it comes from

Wild jack’s native range follows the Western Ghats of India, including the Maharashtra Sahyadris farther north. It grows in moist forests and also on the plains. In Karnataka, it occurs in Kodagu, Hassan and Uttara Kannada.

The tree grows wild and is also planted for its fruit. In Kerala, its timber goes into ceilings, furniture, traditional houses and snake boats.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Kerala, the fruit is called ayanichakka. The thorny outer layer is peeled away to reach the juicy flesh. The seeds are roasted and eaten separately; their local names include ayanikkuru and anjilikkuru. One fruit supplies both the fresh pulp and the cooked seed snack.

How it's grown

Wild jack is an evergreen forest tree that can reach 35 m (115 ft). It grows from sea level to about 1,000 m (3,300 ft), and needs plenty of soil moisture. Young branches carry rust-brown hairs, and the tree produces sticky white sap.

New trees can be raised from seed. Male flowers hang in long, narrow clusters; female flowers grow in oval clusters that develop into the fruit.

When and where you'll find it

In Kerala’s Western Ghats, wild jack usually ripens in May and June, when the spiny fruit turns from green to yellow and orange.

In Wayanad, wild-jack trees are common at the M. S. Swaminathan Botanical Garden in Puthoorvayal, where the orange fruit feeds the garden’s birds and tree-climbing animals.