Family: Moraceae

Origin, Description & Uses
Artocarpus lanceifolius, commonly known as lance-leaved breadfruit, is a large evergreen tree native to Thailand and western Malesia, including parts of Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo. It can grow to about 35 m (115 ft) tall and has a straight trunk, small buttresses, and dark gray bark that peels away in flakes. The species produces distinctive large, rounded, brownish fruits with a textured surface and soft, edible flesh. In its native range, the fruits are locally eaten and the tree is occasionally cultivated for food.

Risks & Threats
Artocarpus lanceifolius is considered low risk for Hawaiʻi. Although it is related to other Artocarpus species that have been widely cultivated and, in some locations, have shown weedy behavior, there is no evidence that A. lanceifolius has become naturalized or invasive outside its native range. It is a large forest tree without documented characteristics such as prolific seed production, persistent seed banks, dense thicket formation, or rapid vegetative spread. There are no known significant environmental or agricultural impacts associated with this species. For these reasons, A. lanceifolius is considered a low-risk choice for Hawaiʻi, although selecting native plants is always encouraged where suitable.

High Risk Traits:

• Shade-tolerant at some life stage
  
• Tolerates a range of soil types (sandy to clay)
  
• Congeneric (A. heterophyllus) is invasive elsewhere
  
• Intentionally dispersed by people for fruit cultivation
  
• Seeds survive gut passage (elephant endozoochory)
  
• Dispersed by birds and arboreal mammals (monkeys, squirrels)
  
• Produces viable seed

Low Risk Traits:

• No evidence of naturalization or weediness anywhere
  
• Lacks spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• Non-toxic; edible fruit
  
• No fire hazard
  
• Not climbing or smothering
  
• Does not form dense thickets
  
• No natural vegetative reproduction
  
• Minimum generative time: 5-7 years (slow to reproduce)
  
• Large seeds; not adapted for wind or external dispersal
  
• Seeds are recalcitrant (short-lived, desiccation-sensitive)
  
• No persistent soil seed bank
  
• Not a prolific seed producer (>1000/m² unlikely)
  
• Not a weed requiring herbicide control (unknown, but irrelevant)