The Marang
Artocarpus odoratissimus Blanco

The marang has been brought recently to the attention of horticulturists by P. J. Wester, who considers it a fruit of unusual promise. It resembles the jackfruit and the seeded breadfruit in appearance, but is superior in quality to either of these.

The tree, which grows wild in the southern Philippine Islands and the Sulu Archipelago, is medium-sized, with large, dark green entire or three-lobed leaves 18 to 24 inches long. Wester describes the fruit as roundish oblong in form, about 6 inches in length, with the surface thickly studded with soft greenish yellow spines 1/3 inch long. The rind is thick and fleshy, the flesh white, sweet, and juicy, aromatic and of pleasant flavor; it is separated into segments (about the size of a grape) which cling to the core, and each segment contains a whitish seed nearly ½ inch long. "When the fruit is ripe, by passing a knife around and through the rind, with a little care the halves may be separated from the flesh, leaving this like a bunch of white grapes." In the Philippines it ripens in August.

The tree is strictly tropical in its requirements and probably will not succeed in regions where the temperature falls below 32° or 35° above zero. It likes a moist atmosphere and abundant rainfall. The marang has been introduced into the United States, but does not promise well either in Florida or in California.


The Breadfruit, Manual Of Tropical And Subtropical Fruits
The Jackfruit, Manual Of Tropical And Subtropical Fruits