Carica papaya

Papaya (papay)

• Also called Papaya, Pawpaw, Papaw
• Haitian Creole Papay
• Hindi Papita (पपीता)

Fast-growing tree-like herb, 3-10 m

What it is

Papaya looks like a small tree but is really a giant herb with a soft, hollow-centred trunk that is not true wood. It usually has a single stem topped by a crown of large leaves cut into deep lobes. Male and female flowers usually grow on separate plants, and the female plants carry heavy green fruits that ripen yellow or orange. It can fruit within a year of sowing. It is native to southern Mexico and Central America.

What it's used for

• Its ripe fruit is eaten fresh and its green fruit cooked as a vegetable.
• Its unripe fruit and leaves contain papain, an enzyme used to tenderise meat.
• Its scented flowers are visited by moths and bees, and its fruit by birds.
• It gives families food and income quickly while slower trees grow.

Where we plant it

Our partners plant the mix of native species that suits each site and season, so a gift plants trees in the project rather than this one species. Carica papaya is one of the species planted there.

Read more about Carica papaya on en.wikipedia.org