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Papaya (Spanish) Family: Cariceae Genus: Carica Distribution Carica papaya is native to the southern parts of the Americas. It has been naturalized to the West Indies, Bermuda, the Pacific Islands, Hawaii and India and now grows in all tropical/semi-tropical regions around the world. Habitat The papaya has exacting climate requirements. They thrive in tropical or semi-tropical climates and do best in light porous, well drained soils. Description The Papaya is a large, woody herb, not a tree. It has a hollow, green or deep-purple., cylindrical stem. This stem grows straight up and can be 3040 cm wide at the base. The leaves emerge directly from and are confined to the upper part of the stem Generally the fruit is oval to round, melon-like or elongated club-shaped, 1520 cm long and 10-20 cm thick. Fruits can weigh up to nine kg. Female flower It is thought to have originated in Mexico and Central America. The first written reference to papayas dates back to the early 16th century. Subsequent historical records indicate the Spaniards carried seeds to the Philippines around 1550 and the papaya traveled from there to Malacca and India. Seeds were sent from India to Naples in 1626. Mountain papaya is native to Andean regions at altitudes of 1,800 – 3,000 m. It is cultivated as well in the mountain valleys of Ecuador. Papayas need warmth, protection from wind and salt spray. They are easily killed by too much water, thus require good drainage. The plants are damaged by even a light frost or over watering. Without full sun, or reflected sun, the fruits of this plant will not be sweet. The leaves are deeply divided into five to nine segments, each irregularly subdivided. The leaf blade varies in width from 30-60 cm. The stem and leaves contain a copious, white, milky latex. The plant has slightly fragrant flowers which appear on the ends of the axils. They are waxy and fleshy. Each flower has five petals. Some plants bear only short-stalked pistillate (female) flowers, waxy and ivory white. Some are hermaphrodites, having both male and female parts, with ivory-white flowers and bright yellow anthers borne on short stalks. Still some plants bear only staminate (male) flowers, clustered on panicles 1.5-1.8 m long. There may even be monoecious plants having both male and female flowers. The fruit is juicy and sweet. Attached to the wall by soft, fibrous tissue are numerous small, black peppery seeds about five mm long. Each seed is coated with a transparent, gelatinous aril. The seeds are edible and have a spicy flavour .Fruits from bisexual plants are usually cylindrical in shape with a thick wall of firm flesh. Male flower Adaptation There are two types of papayas, Mexican and Hawaiian. The latter is the one usually found in supermarkets in North America. This plant is called Solo. Before the introduction into Hawaii of this dioecious, smallfruited papaya from Barbados in 1911, there were few prominent selected cultivars widespread. Some of the wellknown varieties today are Kapoho Solo, Waimanalo, Higgins, Wilder, Hortus Gold, Honey Gold, Bettina and Peterson. Animal Connections The fruits are eaten by various frugivores which disperse the seeds at a distance away from the parent plant Papayas are very popular with humans. They are an excellent nutritional source, cooking aid and used in traditional medicine. Solo Economic Value Successful commercial production today is primarily in Hawaii, tropical Africa, the Philippines, India, Ceylon, Malaya and Australia apart from a smaller scale production in South Africa and Latin America. Interesting Facts Around the world papaya is used to treat a variety of human ailments, for example, in some parts of the world, the papaya leaves are boiled and used as a treatment for malaria. Cano Palma References Today, there are multiple cultivars of the plant. Papaya groves are great places to spot toucans and monkeys that are attracted to the sweet, juicy fruit of this useful and tasty plant The ripe fruit of the plant is usually eaten raw, with or without skin and seeds. The unripe fruit is used in curries, salads and stews. The seeds are edible and have a spicy flavour and often ground and used in black pepper. When farmed, propagation can be from seed or cuttings. Germination takes three to five weeks or earlier if the aril is first removed before planting. Fruits can be harvested when the plant has been growing for about 11 months. Some farmers wait until the colour darkens before harvesting, these being for their own or local consumption. Papayas are at their sweetest when the skin of the fruit is 80% coloured. Paler fruits are picked for export. Papayas are a rich source of carotinoids, vitamin C, B and dietary minerals and fibre. The stem and bark are used to make rope. Both the green fruit and the latex from the stem and leaves, rich in papain, are used as a meat tenderizer. The word papaya originated with the indigenous people. It was taken from the Cariban and used by the Spanish and Portuguese. In many English speaking countries it is referred to as the tree melon. In Australia it is known as the pawpaw or papaw. It grows (wild) in and around the Cano Palma area and is farmed in some areas of Costa Rica. HTTP://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/papaya.html HTTP://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/papaya HTTP://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/papaya_ars.ht ml Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation www.coterc.org