PHANAS

Description:

Habit & Habitat: It grows as an evergreen tree that has a relatively short trunk and dense treetop. It easily reaches heights of 9 to 21 m and trunk diameters of 30 to 80 cm. It sometimes forms buttress roots. The bark of the jackfruit tree is reddish-brown and smooth. In the event of injury to the bark, a milky sap is released.

Leaves: The leaves are alternate and spirally arranged. They are gummy and thick and are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The petiole is 2.5 to 7.5 cm long. The leathery leaf blade is 20 to 40 cm long and 7.5 to 18 cm wide, and is oblong to ovate in shape.

Flowers: The inflorescences are formed on the trunk, branches or twigs ( cauliflory ). Jackfruit trees are monoecious, having both female and male flowers on a tree. The
inflorescences are  pedunculated , cylindrical to ellipsoidal or pear-shaped, to about 10–12 cm long and 5–7 cm wide. Inflorescences are initially completely enveloped in
egg-shaped cover sheets which rapidly slough off. 

The individual and prominent 

stamens are straight with yellow, roundish anthers. Pollen grains are tiny, around 60 microns in diameter. After the pollen distribution, the stamens become ash-gray and fall off after a few days. Later, all the male inflorescences also fall off. The greenish female flowers, with hairy and tubular perianth, have a fleshy flower-like base. 

The female flowers contain an ovary with a broad, capitate, or rarely bilobed scar. The blooming time
ranges from December until February or March.

Fruit: The ellipsoidal to roundish fruit is a multiple fruit formed from the fusion of the ovaries of multiple flowers. The fruits grow on a long and thick stem on the trunk. 

Uses:
1) Ripe jackfruit is naturally sweet, with subtle pineapple- or banana-like flavor. It can be used to make a variety of dishes, including custards, cakes. For the traditional breakfast dish in southern India,  idlis , the fruit is used with rice as an ingredient and
jackfruit leaves are used as a wrapping for steaming.

2) The seeds from ripe fruits are edible once cooked, and are said to have a milky, sweet taste often compared to Brazil nuts. They may be boiled, baked, or roasted.