List of All Fruits: Papaya

List of All Fruits: Papaya

Papaya is cultivated throughout the tropics for its fruits which make a delicious breakfast or dessert.
Family: Caricaceae
Order: Brassicales

Origin: Southern Mexico, Central America, Northern South America
Distribution: Most tropical countries

Evergreen or deciduous: Evergreen
Flowers: Papaya has pleasant smelling flowers with five cream-white to yellow-orange petals of 2 to 5 cm length. The stigmatic surfaces are pale green in color. The stamens are bright yellow.
Leaves: The spirally arranged leaves are on the top of the trunk. The lower part of the trunk shows the scars from earlier leaves and fruits. The large leaves are about 50-70 cm in diameter, they are deeply lobed with 7 lobes.
Fruits: Smooth skinned fruits. Papaya fruits vary a lot in size and shape, depending on the variety and type of plant (round, oval, pear-shaped, etc.). Fruits can be small ( afew hundred grams) to big (several kilos). Usually the fruits contain many seeds surrounded by the smooth yellow to orange-red flesh which usually has a sweet taste.
Climate and weather: Papaya needs a warm tropical climate.
Pollination: Based on flower type there are three types of papaya plants: female, hermaphrodite, and male. Hermaphrodite flowers are usually self-pollinating. Female flowers are probably pollinated by wind or by insects (thrips, moths). Hand pollination can be used for better fruit setting.