Seeded breadfruit naturalized in the Caribbean is not a seeded variety of Artocarpus altilis

摘要

In the past, phenotypic resemblances between three species and natural hybrids belonging to the genus Artocarpus were a source of confusion between individuals belonging to these taxons. Now, results of amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis and morphological data concerning a great diversity of breadfruit are being published. We have considered historical data about the naturalization of breadfruit in the Caribbean, the number of seed per fruit in the seeded breadfruit cultivated in the Caribbean, and scientific knowledge about breadfruit published today. We have established that the seeded breadfruit grown in the Caribbean is in fact Artocarpus camansi Blanco (1837), recognized as a seeded wild ancestor of the domesticated breadfruit, and not a seeded variety of Artocarpus altilis [synonym Artocarpus incisa] as established by Duss (1897), still often referred to by modern authors.