Artocarpus tarap Becc.

Evergreen tree, up to 25 m tall, 40 cm diameter, sometimes with low buttresses. Twigs 4-10 mm thick with long, yellow to red, spreading hairs and stipule-scar rings. Stipules ovate. 1-8 cm long, yellow to red hairy. The trees can become very large with a spreading canopy. Leaves broadly elliptic to obovate, 16-50 cm x 11-28 cm, cuneate at base to slightly decurrent, margin entire or shallowly crenate, apex blunt or shortly acuminate, upper half often 3-lobed; both surfaces roughly hairy, lateral veins 13-15 pairs; petiole 2-3 cm long; juvenile leaves pinnatifid. Inflorescences in leaf axils, solitary; male heads with pubescent peltate bracts mostly shed and simple styles exserted to 1.5 mm. Fruit (syncarp) subglobose, up to 16 cm x 13 cm, green-yellow, densely covered with stiff, hairy processes of about 1 cm length; wall ca. 8 mm thick; flesh (fruiting perianths) white, juicy, fragrant; peduncles 5-14 cm long. Pericarps (including the seeds) ellipsoid, about 12 mm x 8 mm; germination hypogeal. The fruits are borne at the end of long flexible branches and ripe fruits are heavy, fragile and difficult to reach for harvest. A. odoratissimus can be confused with A. elasticus Reinw. ex Blume (called 'tekalong' or also 'terap' in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia). A. elasticus has longer petioles (4-10 cm versus 2-3 cm), cylindrical male inflorescences, fruits covered with short and long rubbery spines, and leaves markedly scabrid above from very short appressed hairs.

Trees become reproductive at an age 4-6 years. In Sarawak cultivated plants and wild populations were compared; cultivated plants have more lateral veins in the leaves, shorter buds and much larger inflorescences, with twice as many flowers and larger fruits which are 3-6 times as heavy (up to 2.5 kg) as the wild ones. The flower heads are borne on emerging shoots. In the Philippines the fruiting season is May-July in Luzon and August-December in Mindanao. The few references to flowering and fruiting in Sarawak all indicate that the fruit ripens between October and January. From studies of fruit growth on forest trees in Sarawak it appears that anthesis occurs about 3 weeks after emergence; by then the volume has increased to 100 cm¦. Stigmas remain receptive for 1-2 weeks after emergence; by then the volume has increased to 100 cm¦ (wild fruit). In northern Queensland, Australia, the fruit is harvested over a 2-month period with a peak in February, following flowering in October-November.

In Sarawak A. odoratissimus is common on sandy clay soils. In the Philippines it grows best on rich loamy, well drained soils.

In Sarawak A. odoratissimus is common in secondary forests up to 100 m altitude on sandy clay soils. In the Philippines it grows best in regions with abundant and equally distributed rainfall on rich loamy, well drained soils. It is found in partially shaded locations from sea-level to 800 m elevation.

In the Philippines A. odoratissimus occurs only cultivated, but in Borneo it is also common in the wild state.

Marang is propagated from seed. Seeds are extracted from ripe fruit, thoroughly cleaned with water and sown immediately in nurseries on sandy loam soil, since they do not retain their viability very long. Seedlings are transplanted to containers when the first leaves have mature. Since the seeds germinate well, they may also be sown directly into containers. Generally, fresh seeds of A. odoratissimus germinate easily, almost 100%. Seeds germinate in about 4 weeks. Experiments to propagate marang by marcotting failed to give good results; branches callused in 33-34 days but failed to root. Marang can be budded or grafted on gumihan (A. elasticus) and inarched with breadfruit (A. atilis (Parkinson) Fosberg).

Plantation: Seedlings grow very fast and are ready for planting when they are about one year old. Plants are set 12-14 m apart in the field and it is best to plant at the onset of the rainy season. Husbandry: Regular weeding and irrigation during the first 2 or 3 dry seasons ensures good growth. Plants are fertilized with 100-200 g ammonium sulphate after planting and towards the end of the rainy season. Bearing tree are given 0.5-1 kg complete fertilizer per tree twice a year. Pruning is limited to the removal of dead branches.

No serious pests and diseases have been observed, apart from maggots of the oriental fruit fly (Dacus umbrosus) found in the fruits. Modern bait sprays have greatly reduced fruit fly damage on other crops and may also be effective on marang.

Food: The large fruit is esteemed for the sweet, juicy, romatic perianths surrounding the seeds, which can be eaten fresh or used as an ingredient in cakes. The fruit is said to have a finere and more delicate flavour than jackfruit. The seeds are eaten roasted or boiled; boiled seeds (30 minutes in salty water) have a delicious nutty flavour. Young fruits are also cooked in coconut milk and eaten as a curried vegetable.