A monoecious tree, up to 30 m tall. Leaves are alternate, ovate to elliptical in outline, 20—60(—90) cm x 20—40(—50) cm, undivided when young, older ones entire or deeply pinnately cut into 5—11-pointed lobes, thick, leathery, dark green and shiny above, pale green and rough below, petiole 3—5 cm long. Inflorescences are axillary, peduncles 4—8 cm long; male ones drooping, club-shaped, 15—25 cm x 3—4 cm, spongy, yellow, flowers minute with single stamen; female ones stiffly upright, globose or cylindrical, 8—10 cm x 5—7 cm, green, flowers numerous, embedded in receptacle, calyx tubular, ovary 2-celled, style narrow, stigma 2-lobed. Fruit is a syncarp formed from the entire inflorescence, cylindrical to globose, 10—30 cm in diameter, rind yellow-green, reticulately marked with 4—6-sided faces, sometimes bearing short spines; a large central core is surrounded by numerous abortive flowers which form a pale yellow juicy pulp, the edible portion of the fruit.

As astringent and purgative (roots); antimicrobial (bark and stem extract)

AgroForestryTree Database
PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, linoleic acid, serine, stearic acid, tryptophan (seed); alpha-amyrin, artocarpin, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, cycloartenol, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, niacin, pantothenic acid, phenylalanine, riboflavin, thiamin, threonine, tyrosine, valine (fruit); HCN, quercetin (leaves)

Used as a remedy for skin ailments and fungal diseases such as thrush, and massaged into the skin to treat broken bones and sprains and is bandaged on the spine to relieve sciatica (latex); taken internally to treat diarrhoea, stomach-ache and dysentery (diluted latex); to treat ear infections (latex and juice from the crushed leaves); to treat liver diseases and fevers (leaves); to lower blood pressure and to relieve asthma (leaf decoction); to counteract food poisoning (chewed young leaves); rubbed on the gums around aching teeth to ease pain (toasted flowers); in treating ear oedema (flower extract); as a poultice for skin ailments (roots); to treat headache (bark).