The latest issue of "Tropical Fruit News" (June 2000, published by the RFCI - Rare Fruit Council Int'l., Miami, Florida) has 2 articles on jakfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus). One describes a *skinless* jakfruit from Indonesia. Most jakfruit have a thick skin/husk. Due to the lack of a skin, this jakfruit cannot be left to ripen on the tree (as it would be eaten by insects before a human could eat it). Frank Sekiya of Walmanalo, Hawaii collected seeds and has seedlings (which might not be true to the parent form). There is a photo in the magazine of the skinless jakfruit - rather strange looking indeed! :-) A second article describes the jakfruit breeding program underway at Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami, Florida. Superior strains of jakfruit are being cross-bred to develop cultivars with characteristics that are desirable to home growers and commercial growers as well. PS the RFCI has a new website under development but it is not open yet. Tom Billings http://www.beyondveg.com