Treculia Explained

Treculia is a genus of trees in the plant family Moraceae that is native to west and central Africa and Madagascar. The best-known member of the genus, Treculia africana, commonly known as the African breadfruit, is used as a food plant.

The fruits are hard and fibrous, can be the size of a volleyball and weight up to 8.5 kg. Chimpanzees have been observed to use tools to break the fruits into small pieces that they can eat.^[1]

Species

Five species are accepted.^[2]

• Treculia acuminata
• Treculia africana
  • Treculia africana var. africana
    • Treculia africana var. africana cultivar Nutreculia Nutrecul-TRC ^[3]
  • Treculia africana var. ilicifolia
  • Treculia africana var. inversa
  • Treculia africana var. mollis
  • Treculia africana var. sambiranensis
• Treculia lamiana
• Treculia obovoidea
• Treculia zenkeri

Notes and References

1. News: Chimps use cleavers and anvils as tools to chop food . Walker. Matt. 24 December 2009. BBC News. 24 December 2009.
2. Nutrecul Agroforestry - Treculia Research Center http://www.nutrecul-agroforestry.com
3. Nutrecul Agroforestry - Treculia Research Center http://www.nutrecul-agroforestry.com