Katahal / Jack Fruit Tree
Artocarpus heterophyllus
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- November-July
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Artocarpus heterophyllus
- Genus
- Artocarpus
- Family
- Moraceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Cultivated in most parts of the world. Evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests
- Habitat type
- Forest, Cultivated
- Distribution
- Widely cultivated throughout tropics
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- November-July
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Recorded for Katahal.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Moraceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- कटहल Katahal, कठल Kathal, kathal
- Nepali
- रुख कटहर, रूखकटहर
- Bengali
- কাঁঠাল Kathal, কাঁঠাল, কাঠাল
- Tamil
- பலா Palaa, பலா, பலா மரம்
- Telugu
- పనస Panas, పనస, పనస పండు
- Kannada
- ಹಲಸು Halasu, ಹಲಸಿನ ಹಣ್ಣು Halasina hannu, ಹಲಸು
- Malayalam
- ചക്ക Chakka, പിലാവ്, പ്ലാവ്
- Marathi
- फणस Phanas, फणस
- Sanskrit
- panasa
- Sinhala
- කොස්
Katahal in India
Jackfruit grows the largest fruit of any tree, borne straight on the trunk — कटहल Katahal (Hindi), பலா Palaa (Tamil), పనస Panas (Telugu), ಹಲಸು Halasu (Kannada), ചക്ക Chakka (Malayalam), फणस Phanas (Marathi). Artocarpus heterophyllus is grown across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, especially in the humid south and east, and is Kerala's state fruit.
Uses
The ripe fruit's sweet golden bulbs are eaten fresh; the unripe green fruit (kathal) is cooked as a much-loved vegetable and increasingly as a meat substitute. The seeds are boiled or roasted, and the strong yellow wood is valued for furniture and instruments.
How to Identify Katahal
A large evergreen with dark, glossy, leathery leaves and a milky latex. The enormous green fruit — covered in short blunt spines and often longer than a forearm — grows directly from the trunk and main branches (cauliflory).
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Jack Fruit Tree called in different Indian languages?
- कटहल Katahal (Hindi); பலா Palaa (Tamil); పనస Panas (Telugu); ಹಲಸು Halasu (Kannada); ചക്ക Chakka (Malayalam); फणस Phanas (Marathi); কাঁঠাল Kathal (Bengali); panasa (Sanskrit).
- Where does jackfruit grow on the tree?
- The huge fruits grow directly from the trunk and thick branches (cauliflory), which helps the tree bear their great weight.
- What is the difference between raw and ripe jackfruit?
- Unripe (raw) jackfruit is cooked as a savoury vegetable and meat substitute, while ripe jackfruit is sweet and eaten as fruit.
Moraceae
Fig/Mulberry family
Katahal belongs to the Moraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Moraceae
View all Moraceae →Sources: GBIF — Artocarpus heterophyllus (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Artocarpus heterophyllus (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Artocarpus heterophyllus (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)