Introduction of breadfruit to the Caribbean
Introducción del árbol del pan en el Caribe
- Date
- 1793 · confidence high
- Place
- Bath, Saint Thomas, Jamaica
- Credited to
- William Bligh, captain of HMS Providence; Joseph Banks
- Field
- Life & health
What it is
Bligh's expedition with HMS Providence brought in 1793 over two thousand breadfruit plants from Tahiti to Saint Vincent and Jamaica, to feed the enslaved population cheaply. From there it spread across the Antilles.
The first attempt (HMS Bounty, 1789) failed because of the mutiny. Many enslaved people at first rejected the fruit in favour of plantain. Ackee was taken to Kew by Bligh, hence its scientific name Blighia sapida.
What it led to
- breadfruit as a staple food and national dish on several islands
- the return voyage that carried ackee from Jamaica to Kew
- a model of imperial plant transfer from botanic gardens