Figs are one of the more well-known family members, globally. Mulberries are the baseline member, enjoyed by all who grow them (but commercially under-appreciated). And Artocarpus are the darlings in Tropical Fruit circles. But how many other family members are worth growing out there? Good flavor, pulp ratio and productivity. Are there any hidden gems out there, or are they mostly "collector's fruit"?
Prainea limpato looks interesting, but I don't know much about its flavor, and its pulp ratio seems low.
Treculia africana looks useful in seed production, but I've read opinions that it's not that productive or worthwhile.
Where does Myrianthus arboreus fit into all of this? I've seen it referred to as a member of this family, as an Urticacean and as a Cecropiacean. And it apparently fixes nitrogen. Regardless of taxonomy, is it worthwhile? I've got my eye out for this species.
Ramón (Brosimum alicastrum) pulp seems scant, but good. The seed seems very useful in theory, but in practice it seems to be held in low esteem by the forum members who've tasted it. Mama Cadela (B. gaudichaudii) seems much more well regarded (if at least as gum; I don't know of you can swallow it), but it seems afflicted by the Cerrado Curse.
Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) is almost always regarded as inedible (save for the seeds, which seem like way too much work), or outright toxic (which is false). Several user comments here (
http://www.eattheweeds.com/maclura-pomifera-the-edible-inedible-2/) allege the flesh to be edible under certain circumstances (prepared like breadfruit, or frost-ripened into an actual fruit, even working it into pies).
Che (M. tricuspidata) is the most well-known "Cudrania" (and still underutilized, it seems). It seems sensitive/unproductive in the tropics, but that won't stop me from trying. Cockspur Thorn (M. cochinchinensis) is an Indo-Australian relative that's said to be tasty, but it's rather hard to find. I've got two survivors from my seeds, no idea what gender. If female, I don't know of they're unproductive (or even fruit-barren) in the absence of a male, or if they fruit seedlessly like Che. M. tinctoria is also edible, but poorly known.
The South American species are of particular interest to me. I've seen 3 Helicostylis species (tomentosa, scabra, and pedunculata) referred to in the forum as being edible and tasty, but they're exceedingly rare, and apparently sensitive as seedlings. Perebea and Maquira seem similar to one another, and they look "juicy", but there's almost no info available on them. Vitor's reference to Naucleopsis ulei as being one of the best fruits he's ever tasted captivated me: I splurged on 5 trees, received 7, and ended up with 6 small-but-strong survivors (hopefully I'll have a mix of males and females among them; they're dioecious, unfortunately). I really hope it's pulpy and worthwhile as more than a collector's fruit, 'cause I'd like to spread it around if it's as good as they say. There's also this thread (
http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=20793.0) referring to Naucleopsis (despite the title) as being tasty and pulpy.
Here's one of my N. ulei post-seedlings:
So... Which are the gems, and which are "for collectors"? Have I missed anything important?