Artocarpus altilis
Breadfruit
Kuru RR
f.MORACEAE
Figs
Artocarpus altilis
Breadfruit
Kuru RR
f.MORACEAE
Figs
Cook Islands Status Summary
Show Notes
Intl. NamesBreadfruit EN Bread‑fruit EN Breadfruit EN Brotfruchtbaum DE Fruit du Baobab FR Pain de Singe FR
Local NamesKuruRR,MG,AT,MK,MT,AK,PL,TNw,MH,RK BreadfruitPL KuluTNs,PK,NS
Pacific NamesMei TON ‘Ulu SAM ‘Uru / Maiore TAH ‘Uru / Mei MQS ‘Ulu HAW
Sci. NamesArtocarpus altilis (accepted name)
, Sitodium altile, Artocarpus communis, Artocarpus incisa, Artocarpus incisus
High Tax. Eng.k.Plants, p.Flowering Plants, f.Figs - a tree
High Tax. Latink.PLANTAE, p.ANTHOPHYTA, c.MAGNOLIOPSIDA, sc.HAMAMELIDAE, o.Urticales, f.MORACEAE
Natl. PresencePresent
Sth. PresenceRR++++MG++++AT++++MK+++MT+++AK++++PL++MN+ LTK-
Nth. PresenceTN++++MH++RK++PK+++NS++SWP
VouchersRR2003
PK2004
Local OriginIntroduced; Polynesian; Maintained
Global RangeNative: New Guinea - Indonesia;
HabitatLand; Lowlands, Horticultural Zone; Uplands
ThreatenedNo Content
InvasivenessNo Content
BiosecurityNo Content
Medical StatusMedicine
Harmful StatusNo Content
UsesFood - fruit (very commonly); Material - for timber
IdentificationLarge tree to 20m. LEAVES alternate, large, to 100x50cm, oval, usually deeply dissected into 3-7 long lobes on each side [a locally rare variety with shieldlike undissected leaves is Rare Autia of Tahiti]; stalk to 5cm. FLOWERS sexes separate on samemore... plant; male yellow, very numerous forming cylindrical spike to 30cm, seeded forms release copious wind-spread pollen, seedless forms release very little pollen; female 1000-2000 fused into a spherical head. FRUIT oval to round, large to 25cmØ, surface of small 5-7-sided disks, ripens yellow-green and leaks a white sap. SEEDS usually absent (one variety has a few seeds, ovoid, 25mm long). Propagated by root-shoots.
Similar SpeciesNo Content
Interest NoteBreadfruit is native in New Guinea and Indonesia. It was firmore...st domesticated in New Guinea or Bismarck Archipelago as seeded to seedless cultivars propogated by root-shoots. Seeded to few seeded cultivars are found from New Guinea eastward to Samoa, with the greatest diversity in the Solomons and Vanuatu; and one few-seeded variety to Tahiti (Uru Huero). Seedless cultivars were traditionally from Fiji eastward to the Marquesas, and up to Hawaii - and in post-contact times introduced to many tropical countries, including New Guinea.
Gill (1885:175) noted breadfruit and mountain plantains as the staple diet of Rarotonga, such that people spoke of summer and winter as 'breadfruit and winter'. He states that seven varieties were indigenous, and another, formerly deemed sacred, was brought by Tangiia from Tahiti. He mentioned the preparation of poke, breadfruit pudding, mixed in wooden trough, wrapped in banana leaves, and baked; and the preparation of fermented breadfruit paste, known as mai, which remained edible for a year.
Cheeseman (1903) listed the most prized forms as: Kuru-atu, Tatara, Patea, and Kuru Maori. Wilder (1931) listed Kuru atu, Kuru tatara, Kuru patea, Kuru Maori, and Kuru peka as the esteemed varieties. Kuru peka was recorded as having been introduced from the Marquesas and had very small fruit, to 8cm.
The variety with the undissected leaves probably originated in either Fiji or Samoa where it is common. It is Uto Lolo in Fiji, Maopo in Samoa and Tonga, Rare Autia in Tahiti, and Mei Aukape in the Marquesas. On Rarotonga it is very rare, with one tree beside Arai-te-Tonga, and it has no known traditional name. The Tahitian variety with a few seeds is Huero with a spiny-skinned fruit. The fruit cooks quickly and it is an esteemed and delicious variety. It is a very prolific producer, and bears most of the year.
Rarotonga is approaching the southern limit of good breadfruit growth. The main fruit season is March to May, with a minor season in November and December. In Samoa the main season is November and December.
Gill (1885:175) noted breadfruit and mountain plantains as the staple diet of Rarotonga, such that people spoke of summer and winter as 'breadfruit and winter'. He states that seven varieties were indigenous, and another, formerly deemed sacred, was brought by Tangiia from Tahiti. He mentioned the preparation of poke, breadfruit pudding, mixed in wooden trough, wrapped in banana leaves, and baked; and the preparation of fermented breadfruit paste, known as mai, which remained edible for a year.
Cheeseman (1903) listed the most prized forms as: Kuru-atu, Tatara, Patea, and Kuru Maori. Wilder (1931) listed Kuru atu, Kuru tatara, Kuru patea, Kuru Maori, and Kuru peka as the esteemed varieties. Kuru peka was recorded as having been introduced from the Marquesas and had very small fruit, to 8cm.
The variety with the undissected leaves probably originated in either Fiji or Samoa where it is common. It is Uto Lolo in Fiji, Maopo in Samoa and Tonga, Rare Autia in Tahiti, and Mei Aukape in the Marquesas. On Rarotonga it is very rare, with one tree beside Arai-te-Tonga, and it has no known traditional name. The Tahitian variety with a few seeds is Huero with a spiny-skinned fruit. The fruit cooks quickly and it is an esteemed and delicious variety. It is a very prolific producer, and bears most of the year.
Rarotonga is approaching the southern limit of good breadfruit growth. The main fruit season is March to May, with a minor season in November and December. In Samoa the main season is November and December.
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Vernacular Names
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Threatened
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Invasive/Pest Status
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Biosecurity
Citation Information
McCormack, Gerald (2026) Cook Islands Biodiversity & Ethnobiology Database, Version 2026.05.19 - Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at https://naturalheritage.gov.ck/cibed
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