Occurrence of Artocarpus hirsutus Lam. (Wild Jack) in Central Western ghats: Habit, habitat and associated traditional knowledge

The wild jack, Artocarpus hirsutus Lam. is an endemic keystone tree species of Western Ghats. The tree has significant uses as timber, medicine as well as providing ecosystem services. Fruits and seeds are also consumed. Exploration trips were conducted in the Central Western Ghats to understand the occurrence, habitat, habit, community importance and traditional knowledge associated with wild jack. In addition to the natural occurrence at various altitudes of Ghats, the wild jack trees were found to be conserved in typical community forest habitats called Kaan Forests. During the exploratory visits across two districts of Karnataka state, Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga, a total of 63 fully grown trees, located at 13 sites were tagged, for further genetic and biochemical studies.