Artocarpus sericicarpus
| Pedalai (Artocarpus sericicarpus) | |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Artocarpus sericicarpus [1] |
| Common names | Pedalai; terap bulu; gumihan [2] |
| Genus | Artocarpus |
| Family | Moraceae |
| Order | Rosales |
| Habit | Very large evergreen rainforest tree |
| Native range | Borneo, Maluku, the Philippines, and Sulawesi [1] |
| Fruit | Hairy syncarp with sweet, aromatic, juicy flesh around the seeds [2] |
Artocarpus sericicarpus, commonly called pedalai, terap bulu, or gumihan, is a very large evergreen fruit tree of wet tropical forest in Borneo, Maluku, the Philippines, and Sulawesi. [1] Its syncarps are covered with long hairs, and the juicy perianths around the seeds are described as sweet and aromatic. [2]
Description[edit | edit source]
Pedalai is an evergreen lowland-forest tree that can reach about 40 m. The syncarp is ellipsoid to cylindrical, about 8.5 × 5 cm in one Artocarpus treatment, and bears long flexible processes or hairs. The upper leaf surface is scabrid, a useful distinction from the related A. elasticus in the species treatment. [3] Some records extend the habitat into forest at roughly 500–1000 m, so the lowland description should not be treated as a fixed elevation boundary. [2]
Cultivation[edit | edit source]
Soil and water[edit | edit source]
Use deep, well-drained soil in a humid tropical setting. The species account emphasizes deep soil and free drainage rather than a permanently wet root zone. [4] Keep young trees evenly supplied with water while roots establish, but prevent stagnant saturation. For container culture, an airy, freely draining mix is a reasonable Artocarpus starting inference; container performance remains a local trial rather than a fixed species schedule.
Sun and humidity[edit | edit source]
Pedalai is associated with humid evergreen rainforest. Young plants are described as benefiting from shade, with increasing light as they mature. [4] Begin seedlings under filtered light and increase exposure as the canopy develops, protecting tender plants from abrupt heat or exposure. A gradual increase is a cautious genus-level cultivation inference rather than a measured species threshold.
Seasonal changes[edit | edit source]
The native range is wet tropical, and the tree remains evergreen in lowland forest. [1] As an Artocarpus from humid evergreen forest, a reasonable seasonal starting approach is to maintain regular moisture during warm active growth, then lengthen the interval only as cooler or drier weather slows transpiration; drainage should remain rapid through wet periods. This is a genus-level inference, not a species-specific calendar. A Tropical Fruit Forum post describing a Miami plant before fruiting called the trees giant and suggested pruning early; the post gave no plant age, provenance, or measured growing conditions, so it is a narrow grower suggestion rather than a pruning protocol. [6]
Propagation[edit | edit source]
Sow seed fresh. Pedalai seed is described as germinating immediately and losing viability when desiccated; a genus treatment likewise emphasizes immediate sowing of seed that cannot withstand drying. [2] A species account gives 24–27 °C as the best germination range and lists root cuttings and air layering as additional methods. [5] These temperatures and vegetative methods are useful starting parameters, not a guarantee of uniform germination or rooting.
In a controlled glasshouse experiment, breadfruit scions grafted onto pedalai seedlings survived in 3 of 32 attempts, or 9%, after four months. [5] That result concerns pedalai as an interspecific rootstock for breadfruit; it should not be read as a tested method for propagating pedalai itself.
Flowering, fruiting, and harvest[edit | edit source]
The tree produces ellipsoid to cylindrical syncarps with long, flexible hairs. The fruiting structure is about 8.5 × 5 cm in one genus treatment, while the species account describes hairy syncarps more generally. [2] Individual fruit measurements and fruiting schedules may vary with plant age and growing conditions.
The examined descriptions do not establish a dependable bearing-age or harvest calendar for cultivated trees. When fruit is produced, its hairy exterior and aromatic, juicy flesh around the seeds provide the principal harvest-stage identification cues described for the species. [3]
Fruit and uses[edit | edit source]
Pedalai fruit is recorded as edible, with sweet, aromatic, juicy perianths around the seeds and creamy flesh in the species account. The seeds are described as edible when roasted, boiled, or fried. [2] These are traditional-use descriptions, not a modern food-safety assessment.
A Tropical Fruit Forum discussion relayed an opinion that the fruit is mostly sweet with little flesh around the seed, but the Miami tree being discussed had not yet fruited. That comment is best kept as an attributed expectation about one line of material, not as a general fruit-quality claim. [6]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ [2] Seibert, B. & Jansen, P.C.M. 1991. Artocarpus. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 2: Edible fruits and nuts, record 1474.
- ↑ [3] Djarwaningsih, T. 1995. Artocarpus sericicarpus Jarrett. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 5(2), record 3980.