Moraceae
How to identify a cempedak tree
Artocarpus integer · also called chempedak
A smaller, softer-skinned relative of jackfruit with custardy, sweet bulbs and a notably stronger, more pungent aroma. The seeds are also cooked and eaten. Beloved regionally but rarely found outside Southeast Asia.
Field marks
These features are typical of the genus Artocarpus, so they help confirm you are looking at the right group; the fruit and the details below separate the species.
- Cut leaves, twigs, bark and fruit bleed a white, sticky latex.
- Leaves are large and leathery. Breadfruit and breadnut have deeply lobed leaves; jackfruit and cempedak leaves on mature trees are usually entire, though young trees can show lobed leaves.
- Jackfruit and cempedak fruit grow from the trunk and main branches, not from the twig tips.
Check a photo
Photograph one whole, mature leaf from above, or a flower or fruit, and the identifier will return ranked matches. If cempedak is the top result, the field marks above are your second opinion.
Leaves, flowers, fruit, or bark — closer and sharper identifies better. Your photo is identified and discarded, never stored.
Where and when you will find it
- Origin / cultivation history
- Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra
- USDA zones
- 10b-11
- Climate
- Tropical humid lowland, more shade-tolerant when young than jackfruit.
- Fruiting season
- June, July and August (typical, Northern Hemisphere)
- How often grown
- Rare in cultivation
Fruit is the most reliable way to confirm an identification, so June, July and August is the easiest window. Outside it, rely on the leaves and the overall habit. A tree growing well outside the climate above is more likely to be a look-alike.
Growing it: seedling or grafted?
A young tree with no fruit is harder to identify and easy to mislabel, so it helps to know how long it takes to reach fruiting age and how it is usually propagated.
- Years to first fruit
- Seedling ~5-7 yrs; grafted 3-4 yrs
- Propagation
- Grafting, air-layering, or seed.
Relatives in the Moraceae family
Close relatives share many features, so these are the most likely mix-ups.
- JackfruitArtocarpus heterophyllus
- MarangArtocarpus odoratissimus
- BreadfruitArtocarpus altilis
- BreadnutArtocarpus camansi
- LakoochaArtocarpus lakoocha
Map your cempedak trees
CanopyTwin keeps every tree on a map with its species, cultivar, photos and history, and counts flowers and fruit from survey photos. It is built for orchards, nurseries and collectors of tropical and rare fruit.
More identification guides: free plant identifier · tropical fruit tree identifier · fruit tree identifier · all species guides