Artocarpa'ceæ.

Artocarpa'ceæ. A natural order of Monochlamydeous dicotyledons, of which the Bread-fruit (Artocarpus incisa) is the most familiar example; it is usually extended to include the tribe of mulberries and figs (Moraceæ), and with them is often grouped as a sub-order of the great nettle family, Urticaceæ, but by Baillon under Ulmaceæ. The Artocarpaceæ proper are almost all tropical trees, and include many highly useful species, as well as some deleterious to man. The milky juice of some yields Caoutchouc (q.v.); and that of a few species is so bland as to be used as a substitute for milk (see COW-TREE). The juice of others is, however, very poisonous, as that of Antiaris toxicaria, the poison usually called Upas by the Javanese. The fruits are wholesome; the importance of Bread-fruit in the South Sea Islands is well known; and the seeds of the Musanga of the Gold Coast of Africa, and of Brosimum alicastrum in the West Indies, are eaten as nuts. The fibrous bark of the Bread-fruit tree is made into cloth; its wood is used for building, its male catkins for tinder; its leaves serve as substitutes for table-cloths and wrapping-papers, and its milky juice for bird-lime. The bark of Antiaris saccidora is used in Western India for making sacks, which are formed by cutting a branch of the dimensions of the sack wanted, and simply turning back and drawing off the bark after it has been soaked and beaten, the wood being sawn off so as to leave a little portion to form the bottom of the sack. The fibrous bark of Cecropia peltata, or Trumpetwood, is used for cordage. The stem and branches are hollow, and are used for wind-instruments. The wood of some species is valuable, such as Letterwood (q.v.). The wood known as fustic is Maclura tinctoria, and M. aurantiaca (Osage Orange) also yields yellow stain. See BREAD-FRUIT, UPAS; also FIG, MULBERRY.