`Ulu;   Breadfruit

 Artocarpus communis

The origin of this fig relative is not specifically known. Some believe it is native to Malaysia while others consider it native to Polynesia.  It is found growing throughout tropical Asia and Polynesia and it is believed to have been under cultivation for over 2,000 years.  For many Pacific islanders the breadfruit is a staple.  Although introduced to Hawaii by the early Polynesians, the Hawaiians came to prefer the taro as their staple food item.

 The tree and the fruit were important to the Pacific islanders.  Fruits were eaten raw when ripe, baked and eaten, or used in preparing other food items.  In Hawaii the fruits were baked and eaten or baked and pounded into a poi-like food, and when taro was not available the `ulu was substituted and mixed with coconut milk to make a pudding similar to kulolo.  The fruit is a good source of vitamins A, B, and C.  In Samoa the fruits are buried as a means of preserving the fruit for later use.  Stored in the ground the fruits last several months.

 The wood of the tree is light and was used for canoes, surfboards, and to make drums.  The leaf stipules were used as a finishing abrasive.  The milky sap becomes sticky when exposed to air and was used as chewing gum, caulking, and by the bird catchers to trap birds.

 The leaves are very showy and stiff hairs on their surface give the leaf a rough texture.  `Ulu leaves were and still are a favorite design on Hawaiian quilts.  Both male and female flowers are formed on the same tree.  Both occur on similar round or oblong structures.  The male flower is powdery due to the pollen.  The female flowers are very small and packed together.  Because the female flowers are so tightly packed, as the fertilized flowers develop; the individual flowers form a collective fruit weighing up to 10 lbs.  Each bump on the fruit represents an individual flower.  Since seeds very rarely form within fruits in Hawaii, propagation of this plant is primarily from cuttings or root suckers.  There are several varieties of Tahitian or Samoan origin grown in Hawaii.  These varieties are differentiated by pulp color, taste and leaf shape.