Papaya (Carica papaya) is a species of plant in the Caricaceae, a small tree that is not woody and rarely branched, 2-10 meters tall with leaves arranged in a spiral and limited to the top of the stem, very many cultivars, one of the important commercial crops in the agricultural industry for fruit and leaves.
C. papaya has a height depending on the cultivar and a conspicuous scar where the leaves and fruit grow. The leaves are large, 50-70 cm in diameter, seven lobes very deep and green. The stalk is very long, tubular and has a large cavity inside. All parts of the plant contain latex.
Flowers consist of five parts and are very dimorphic. Male flowers have stamens attached to the petals. The female flower has a superior ovary and five wrinkled petals that are loosely connected at the base. The flowers are sweet-scented, open at night and pollinated by wind or insects.
The fruit has a large shape and size depending on the variety, round or cylindrical, 15-45 cm long and 10-30 cm in diameter. Ripe fruit has a soft texture, the skin is yellow to orange and along the walls of the large central cavity are attached numerous black seeds.
Papaya grows as male, female and hermaphrodite. Males only produce pollen and never bear fruit. Females produce small fruit and are not edible unless pollinated. Hermaphrodites can self-pollinate because flowers contain male stamens and female ovaries.
TAXON
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Brassicales
Family: Caricaceae
Genus: Carica L. in Sp. Pl.: 1036 (1753)
Species: Carica papaya L. in Sp. Pl.: 1036 (1753)
HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS
Papaya papaya (L.) H.Karst. in Ill. Repet. Pharm.-Med. Bot.: 894 (1886)
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS
Carica citriformis J.Jacq. ex Spreng. in Syst. Veg., ed. 16. 3: 905 (1826)
Carica cubensis Solms in C.F.P.von Martius & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Bras. 13(3): 177 (1889)
Carica hermaphrodita Blanco in Fl. Filip.: 205 (1837)
Carica jamaicensis Urb. in Symb. Antill. 6: 20 (1909)
Carica jimenezii Bertoni in Agronomía (Puerto Bertoni) 5(7): 259 (1913)
Carica mamaya Vell. in Fl. Flumin. 10: t. 131 (1829)
Carica papaya var. bady Aké Assi in Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 31: 307 (1961)
Carica papaya f. correae Solms (1889)
Carica papaya f. ernstii Solms (1889)
Carica papaya var. jimenezii Bertoni (1913)
Carica papaya f. mamaya (Vell.) Stellfeld in Tribuna Farm. 15: 185 (1947)
Carica papaya f. portoricensis (Urb.) Solms in Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 47: 774 (1889)
Carica peltata Hook. & Arn. in Bot. Beechey Voy.: 425 (1840)
Carica pinnatifida Heilborn in Svensk Bot. Tidskr. 30: 224 (1936)
Carica portoricensis Urb. in Symb. Antill. 4: 428 (1910)
Carica posopora L. in Sp. Pl.: 1036 (1753)
Carica pyriformis Willd. in Sp. Pl., ed. 4. 4: 815 (1806)
Carica rochefortii Solms (1889)
Carica sativa Tussac in Fl. Antill. 3: 45 (1824)
Papaya carica Gaertn. in Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2: t. 122 (1791)
Papaya citriformis (J.Jacq. ex Spreng.) A.DC. in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 15(1): 414 (1864)
Papaya communis Noronha in Verh. Batav. Genootsch. Kunsten 5(4): 23 (1790)
Papaya cubensis (Solms) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 253 (1891)
Papaya cucumerina Noronha (1790)
Papaya edulis Bojer in Hortus Maurit.: 277 (1837)
Papaya peltata (Hook. & Arn.) Kuntze (1891)
Papaya posopora (L.) DC. in J.B.A.M.de Lamarck, Encycl. 5: 3 (1804)
Papaya pyriformis (Willd.) Baill. in Traité Bot. Méd. Phan. 2: 835 (1884)
Papaya rochefortii (Solms) Kuntze (1891)
Papaya sativa Tussac (1825)
Papaya vulgaris DC. (1804)
Vasconcellea peltata (Hook. & Arn.) A.DC. (1864)
PUBLICATIONS
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VERNACULAR NAME
Afrikaans: Papaja
Ambon: Papas.
Armenian: Պապայա
Bali: Gedang
Bengali: পেঁপে Papeya
Bunun: Salitung
Burmese: သင်ဘော Thimbaw
Catalan: Papaier
Chinese (simplified): 木瓜 - 番木瓜
Chinese (traditional): 木瓜 - 番木瓜
Cora: Tzipí
Czech: Papája melounová
Danish: Almindelig papaja
English: Papaya, Papaw, Pawpaw
Estonian: Harilik papaia
Filipino: Papaya, Kapaya, Lapaya
Finnish: Tarhapapaija
French: Papayer
German: Papaya, Melonenbaum, Papayabaum
Guangdong: 木瓜
Hebrew: פפאיה
Hindi: पपीता Papita
Hong Kong: 木瓜
Hungarian: Papaja
Indonesian: Pepaya, Betik
Italian: Papaia
Japanese: パパイア - パパイヤ
Java: Katès, Gandul
Kannada: Parangi gida, Pappaaya, Pappaayi, Parangi
Khmer: ឡុង - ឌឿម ឡុង Lhong, Doeum lahong
Konkani: Poppayi
Korean: 파파야
Lao: ຮຸ່ງ Houng
Macao: 木瓜
Malayalam: Ampapaya, Karmmathi, Kappalanga, Omakkay, Pappali, Kappaka
Malaysia: Papaya, Betek, Ketalah
Manipuri: Awathabi
Marathi: Pappayi, Popay
Mizo: Thing-fanghma
Oria: Amruta bhanda
Palauan: Bobai
Polish: Papaja właściwa, Melonowiec właściwy
Portugal: Papaia, Papaieira, Mamão, Mamão-formosa, Mamão-havaí, Mamão-papaia, Mamoeiro, Papaia, Papaieira
Russian: Папайя
Sanskrit: Erand karkati
Slovak: Papája melónová
Southern Africa: Pawpaw
Spanish: Papaya, Fruta bomba, Lechosa, Mamón
Sulawesi: Kapaya
Sunda: Rejang
Taiwan: 木瓜
Tamil: பப்பாளி Pappaali
Telugu: Parangi, Boppayi
Thai: มะละกอ
Tonga: Lesi
Turkish: Papaya
Ukrainian: Папая
Vietnam: Du du
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