The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), also known as the jack tree, is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India, all of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the rainforests of the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The jackfruit tree is well-suited to tropical lowlands and is widely cultivated throughout tropical regions of the world. It bears the largest fruit of all trees, reaching as much as in weight, length, and in diameter. A mature jackfruit tree produces some 200 fruits per year, with older trees bearing up to 500 fruits in a year. The jackfruit is a multiple fruit composed of hundreds to thousands of individual flowers, and the fleshy petals of the unripe fruit are eaten. The ripe fruit is sweet (depending on variety) and is commonly used in desserts. Canned green jackfruit has a mild taste and meat-like texture that lends itself to being called "vegetable meat". Jackfruit is commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisines. Both ripe and unripe fruits are consumed. It is available internationally, canned or frozen, and in chilled meals, as are various products derived from the fruit, such as noodles and chips. Etymology and common name The word jackfruit comes from Portuguese , which in turn is derived from the Malayalam language term (Malayalam: ), when the Portuguese arrived in India at Kozhikode (Calicut) on the Malabar Coast (Kerala) in 1499. Later the Malayalam name () was recorded by Hendrik van Rheede (1678–1703) in the , vol. iii in Latin. Henry Yule translated the book in Jordanus Catalani's () Mirabilia descripta: the wonders of the East. This term is in turn derived from the Proto-Dravidian root ("fruit, vegetable"). The common English name "jackfruit" was used by physician and naturalist Garcia de Orta in his 1563 book . Centuries later, botanist Ralph Randles Stewart suggested it was named after William Jack (1795–1822), a Scottish botanist who worked for the East India Company in Bengal, Sumatra, and Malaya. History The jackfruit was domesticated independently in South Asia and Southeast Asia, as indicated by the Southeast Asian names which are not derived from the Sanskrit roots. It was probably first domesticated by Austronesians in Java or the Malay Peninsula. The fruit was later introduced to Guam via Filipino settlers when both were part of the Spanish Empire. It is the national