17 Types of Jackfruits: An Overview (with Pictures)

Jackfruits are the largest fruits in the world, with some growing to weigh 120 pounds or more. While the jack trees do grow naturally in the wild, people do cultivate them at home too. But naturally, they thrive in tropical climates.

One jack tree can produce 200 fruits per year, but this number is more or less dependent on the type of tree. It’s possible to consume both ripe and unripe jackfruits, but this also varies by type. These fruits have a firm pulp with a crunchy texture and sweet flavor.

In terms of nutritional value, jackfruits are a good source of dietary fiber. They are also high in natural sugars and different nutrients, like vitamins B6 and C and potassium.

Get to know all the different types of jackfruits that are edible and delicious in this article.

The 17 Different Types of Jackfruit

1. Cheena Jackfruit

Cheena is a Jackfruit hybrid with Chempedak. The result is a Jackfruit tree that produces relatively smaller fruits. One fruit can weigh 5 pounds or less. Often, the fruits grow to be narrow, long, and uniform in size.

The outer layer comprises green skin and starts to open when the fruit matures. About 33% of the Cheena Jackfruit flesh is edible. The flesh is a deep orange color, and the flavor is amazing with an intense earthy aroma. It also contains a lot of fiber.

2. Golden Nugget Jackfruit

Golden Nugget Jackfruit is a dwarf variety that suits container gardening. The tree has round dark green leaves that form a dense canopy when mature. The tree produces small green fruits with a rounded shape.

These fruits have a fleshy outer layer with spikes. Once the fruit matures, these spines tend to flatten, leaving a golden-yellow surface. One Golden Nugget Jackfruit can weigh 13 pounds with 41% edible flesh. The flesh is aromatic, quite sweet, and has no fiber.

It takes 3 to 5 years for the tree to mature and start fruiting.

3. Chirappuram Cluster Jack Jackfruit

One of the sweetest Jackfruits around is the Chirappuram Cluster Jack. Not only is it sweet, but the flesh is firm. The tree produces small uniform jackfruits in clusters. The fruits have a green exterior before ripening, and one can weigh 5.5 pounds. A cluster can have 6 to 8 jackfruits, and the tree produces fruits annually without a break.

Chirappuram Cluster Jack trees grow vigorously under the right conditions. It grows low and tends to spread, creating a canopy shape.

4. Golden Pillow Jackfruit

Golden Pillow Jackfruit originates from Thailand. This is among the best Thai cultivars, which grows into a small manageable tree. Golden Pillow trees produce blocky jackfruits with a golden color and fleshy spines.

The spines tend to flatten and open up when the fruit matures ready for harvest. Inside, you find the beautiful golden color, thick, and crunchy flesh with a mild sweet flavor. One fruit can weigh between 6 to 8 pounds.

5. Cochin Jackfruit

Cochin Jackfruit is a slow-growing tree native to Australia. It grows upright, with its leaves forming a short and sparse canopy. It produces small fruits with soft spines that tend to flatten and open when the fruit matures.

One fruit can weigh an average of 3 pounds with 35% edible flesh. It’s possible to eat the entire fruit but timing is everything. It’s only possible to do so at a specific time of the year when even the rag is edible.

6. NSI Jackfruit

NSI Jackfruit originates from Malaysia. The tree falls in the dwarf category and grows well in a pot. It produces small and blocky jackfruits with green skin and fleshy spikes. Some places like Hawaii and Mexico cultivate the NSI Jackfruit as a commercial crop.

The fruit’s spikes flattes and open when the fruit is ripe. Inside, you find sweet and flavor-rich flesh. A fruit can weigh between 8 to 10 pounds. However, under the right growing conditions, the size can increase.

7. Kun Wi Chen Jackfruit

The Kun Wi Chen Jackfruit tree originates from Thailand. It grows vigorously with green round leaves that form a dense canopy as the tree spreads. This jackfruit tree produces large fruits that are uniform in size and shape.

A mature Kun Wi Chen jackfruit can weigh 33 to 39 pounds. The green skin has fleshy spikes that eventually go flat when the fruit is ready for harvest. Kun Wi Chen flesh is thick with a mild peasant flavor. It’s not as sweet as other varieties of Jackfruit.

8. Honey Gold Jackfruit

Honey Gold Jackfruit is another native Australian jackfruit tree that falls under the dwarf category, thus suitable for pots and containers. A Honey Gold Jackfruit can produce fruits weighing 10 to 12 pounds each.

The fruit has a firm exterior with fleshy spikes. Inside, you come across golden-yellow sweet flesh that’s crispy. After planting, it can take 3 to 4 years for the tree to mature and start producing jackfruits.

9. Dang Rasimi Jackfruit

The Dang Rasimi Jackfruit is native to Thailand. It is a fast-growing and highly productive cultivar. One fruit from the Dang Rasimi can weigh 8 pounds and has 32% edible flesh.

The exterior skin is green with fleshy spikes that open when the fruit is ripe. Once you cut open the jackfruit, you find firm and sweet deep-orange flesh.

10. Black Gold Jackfruit

Queensland, Australia is home to the Black Gold Jackfruit. The dwarf tree grows to create a dense canopy that’s easy to maintain. It produces long and tapered jackfruits weighing 13 to 20 pounds each from late September to October.

This tree thrives in tropical and subtropical climates, and given the small tree size, it suits containers and pots perfect for your home.

11. Lemon Gold Jackfruit

The Lemon Jackfruit is considered one of the best jackfruit varieties you can enjoy. It’s native to Thailand and is often referred to as the Bangkok Jackfruit. This tree produces blocky fruits that are small to medium in size.

The exterior skin color is light green and inside, you find flesh with a mild lemony taste. It has a light yellow firm pulp texture with a mild crunch. Lemon Jackfruit trees grow vigorously to form a moderately dense canopy.

12. Gumless Jackfruit

Not all jackfruits have gum, and the Gumless variety is among the few. This jackfruit grows vigorously and is a perfect candidate for pot and container fruit trees. It produces blocky fruits weighing 13 pounds each.

Once the spikes open, you can see deep-orange flesh that’s firm and has a sweet aroma. Pulp from the Gumless Jackfruit is also sweet and 35% edible. It has a crunchier texture and can be used to prepare numerous culinary dishes.

13. Vietnam Super Early Jackfruit

Vietnam is home to the Vietnam Super Early Jackfruit tree, a dwarf variety. This tree produces medium-sized jackfruits that are blocky in shape. One jackfruit can weigh up to 20 pounds depending on growing conditions in that area.

This tree grows vigorously and you can start harvesting jackfruits after two years. These fruits have a green skin with sharp spikes. Wait until the spikes flatten and start to open before harvesting the fruit. The fruit has a crunchy deep-orange flesh with a sweet flavor.

14. Hemachandra Jackfruit

The Hemachandra Jackfruit is native to Indonesia. While most jackfruits are sweet, this one is neither sweet nor sour. This makes it less popular, especially for different dishes and cuisines.

A Hemachandra jackfruit tree will produce jackfruits that weigh 20 pounds each. These are medium-sized fruits with a green skin that has fleshy spikes. Inside, the flesh is light yellow even when the fruit is ripe.

15. J-30 Jackfruit

The J-30 jackfruit variety originates from Malaysia. Once the seed germinates, the tree takes off and grows quite vigorously to form a conical canopy with limbs spread out to hold the fruits. Jackfruits grow uniformly on the tree.

Each jackfruit has a dark-green skin and blunt spines similar to numerous other types of jackfruits. One J-30 jackfruit can weigh 16 pounds and has 38% edible flesh. Once ripe, the flesh of this jackfruit is a deep-orange with a sweet aroma and rich flavor.

16. EVIARC Jackfruit

The EVIARC (Eastern Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center) Jackfruit is one of the sweetest varieties available. It’s referred to as Sweet No. 1. The tree grows quite vigorously, and in 3 years, you can start harvesting its fruits.

EVIARC jackfruits have light green skin with blunt spikes. Once ripe, the flesh is golden yellow and quite tasty. It’s easy to see why this is considered the sweetest jackfruit since even the aroma is attractive. The edible flesh portion is 42.58%.

17. Red Jackfruit

Most jackfruit trees tend to produce fruits with a green skin. However, the Red Jackfruit, or Red Jack, has a red skin and reddish-orange flesh when ripe. The fruit is native to Thailand.

The flesh is so sweet with an attractive fragrance. A Red Jackfruit tree is high yielding and each fruit can weigh 22 pounds. It starts to yield fruits at 3 to 4 years and does so every year.

Which Is the Sweetest Jackfruit?

The EVIARC jackfruit is the sweetest variety. This fruit has 42.48% edible flesh. The golden yellow flesh has a rich flavor and gets sweeter as the jackfruit ripens. In fact, this jackfruit has the best rating in the world of 25.15 degrees Brix.

Conclusion

There are different types of jackfruits that thrive in tropical climates. These fruits grow in a block shape and can vary in size. It’s not uncommon to come across small, medium, and large-sized jackfruits from different tree varieties.

Most jackfruits tend to have skin that ranges from light green to dark green. The skin has sharp or blunt spikes that flatten and open when the fruit matures. The flesh color can vary from deep orange, light yellow and golden yellow. But generally, these fruit cultivars exhibit almost similar characteristics with slight differences in the sweetness levels.

Featured Image Credit: quang-nguyen-vinh, Pexels