Papaya

Carica papaya

The papaya, also known as the Paw Paw in Australia, is a native of the tropics of the Americas, and has been cultivated in Mexico for thousands of years. Papayas are very fast growing, and can commence bearing within 12 months of planting.

It is a large plant with a single stem growing 3-6m tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The stem of the tree bears characteristic scars where the previous leaves and fruit were borne.

There are three types of Papaya (male, female and bisexual) and these can be distinguished by their flowers. The bisexual varieties are self-fertile, whereas the male/female varieties do require pollination, mostly by bees. If you are growing the male/female varieties, then 1 male plant will pollinate 7-10 females.

Fruits are borne largely within, or near, the canopy, and take approximately 60-120 days to mature. In warm climates fruit will ripen all year round but in cooler climates will ripen over summer. Each tree, excluding males, can produce up to 25-30kg of fruit per year.

One of the major downsides of Papayas for the average home garden (apart from the heat requirement) is the size of the plant. They can grow really tall and if you are in an area that receives any frost at all, then protecting them can be very difficult. Interestingly, Hawaiian plantation workers discovered that large branches root easily, and that if planted in the rainy season began fruiting in just a few months, VERY CLOSE TO THE GROUND. Quite a useful little fact, especially for stacking!

The video below, from Daley’s Fruit Tree Nursery, show’s this phenomenon in glorious technicolour.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites