Native Tree of the month (PART 2) Antipolo Artocarpus blancoi (Elm.) Merr.

Physical Characteristics

Antipolo is a large tree that grows up to 30 meters tall. Its stem, which has short and stout buttresses, grow up to 60 centimeters or more in diameter.

The outer bark of an antipolo tree is grayish-black; its inner bark exudes white latex.

Leaves are simple, spirally arranged, with one to three pairs of lobes. The hairy petioles are about eight centimeters long while the long hairy stipules are about 10 centimeters long.

The flowers are minute in separate male and female axillary inflorescences. The male ones are yellowish, oblong, cylindrical, and spongy, while the female ones are spherical in shape.

The fruit is about 6.5 centimeters in diameter, with flexuous, tapering, obtuse process (spine-like structure), ripening to yellow and orange-brown. Seeds are embedded in the fleshy part of the fruit.

Locations

Antipolo is endemic to the Philippines, particularly in Batan Island, Luzon, Palawan, Negros, and Mindanao, and in lowland forests and thickets.

It can also be found in areas with distinct dry season and annual rainfall of 2,000 millimeters or more.

Although rather common on Mount Makiling, the tree is very widely distributed throughout the archipelago. It is also common in low and medium altitudes, but not abundant. It is seldom cut for timber.

Method of Propagation:

Antipolo is propagated by seeds only.

Contemporary Use:

The wood of an antipolo tree is locally used for light construction. Bark extract is said to have antimicrobial activity. Fruits and seeds are cooked and eaten. It is also used as a fiber plant for the production of pulp and paper.

How to plant your antipolo seedling

Clear the area where you want to plant your seedling with unwanted weeds and debris. Make sure that a one-meter radius is kept free from other vegetation. Dig a plant hole with dimensions of at least 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm. Plant the seedling at proper depth. Root collar should be at level with or a little below the ground surface with the seedling oriented upward. Fill the hole with top or garden soil and press soil firmly around the base of the seedling. In plantation-making, seedlings should maintain a two-meter distance between seedlings if planted in a row of a three-meter distance from one strip to the next strip.

How to take care of your antipolo seedling

Remove grass and other unwanted vegetation and cultivate the soil around the base of the seedling (50 cm radius) once in every quarter for two to three years. Place mulch around the base of the seedling (maintaining the 50 cm radius and using cut grass, leaves and other suitable materials as mulch base). Prune the branches at most 50 percent of the crown depth, preferably during dry season, and ensure that when pruning, you do not injure the bark. Remove infected or infested vegetation nearby to stop plant diseases from spreading and contaminating your seedling. Monitor regularly the growth of the seedling for presence of pests and diseases.

Data about native tree species are featured by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. For suggestions, email [email protected].