Jackfruit (Kathal) Tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus): Where It Grows in India and How to Plant It
Artocarpus heterophyllus
Jackfruit, kathal (कटहल) in Hindi, is Artocarpus heterophyllus, the big evergreen fruit tree native to India. How to plant a grafted kathal tree and when, where to plant it, how to raise a plant from seed, whether it can live in a pot, how to recognise it, three years of care and what to watch out for.
Cultural significance
Jackfruit is woven into the food and language of India, especially in the south and east. Kerala declared jackfruit its official state fruit in March 2018, according to an Onmanorama news report of 21 March 2018; we did not read the government order. Flowers of India notes that the English word jackfruit comes from the Malayalam name chakka, and ICRAF gives panasa as its Sanskrit name. Whether a kathal tree is lucky (shubh) to plant at home is a matter of belief that our sources do not settle; the practical question is whether you have room for a large tree.
Sources: Flowers of India: Jackfruit (Indian-language names, leaves, flowers, fruit, native to the Western Ghats, name from Malayalam chakka); Onmanorama (21 March 2018): Jackfruit declared Kerala's official fruit (news report, not the government order)
This article was prepared with AI assistance and checked by the GreenEye team against the sources shown in each section.
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