French Polynesia Coins 20 Francs 1967 Breadfruit
Obverse: Bust of Marianne facing left, date below.
Lettering: RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE 1970 R. JOLY.
Engraver: Raymond Joly.
Reverse: Flowers, vanilla shoots, breadfruit.
Lettering: POLYNESIE FRANÇAISE 20 f.
Engraver: A. Guzman.
Composition: Nickel.
Weight: 10 g.
Diameter: 28.3 mm.
Mint: France - Paris (A).
Breadfruit
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family (Moraceae) originating in the South Pacific and that was eventually spread to the rest of Oceania. British and French navigators introduced a few Polynesian seedless varieties to Caribbean islands during the late 18th century, and today it is grown in some 90 countries throughout South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, Central America and Africa. Its name is derived from the texture of the moderately ripe fruit when cooked, similar to freshly baked bread; it has a potato-like flavor.
Ancestors of the Polynesians found the trees growing in northwest New Guinea area around 3,500 years ago. They gave up the rice cultivation they had brought with them from Taiwan, and raised breadfruit wherever they went in the Pacific. (Easter Island and New Zealand are too cold to support its cultivation.) Their ancient eastern Indonesian cousins spread the plant west and north through insular and coastal Southeast Asia. In historical times, the trees have been widely planted in tropical regions elsewhere, including the Caribbean. In addition to the fruit serving as a staple food in many cultures, the trees' light, sturdy timber has been used for outriggers, ships and houses in the tropics.