Description
Papaya plants grow in three sexes: male, female, hermaphrodite. The male produces only pollen, never fruit. The female will produce small, inedible fruits unless pollinated. The hermaphrodite can self-pollinate since its flowers contain both male stamens and female ovaries.
The papaya plant has an erect branch-less trunk 6-20 ft tall, and a palmlike head of foliage at the top. The trunk remains somewhat succulent and soft wooded, and never develops true bark. It is ringed with prominent scars from previous leaf stems and contains an acrid milky latex sap.
The leaves are deeply incised and lobed, up to 24 in across and borne on 24 in petioles. The five-petal flowers are fleshy, waxy and fragrant.There are three different tree types, female plants, male plants and bisexual plants. The female and bisexual plants are the only ones that produce fruit. Depending on the tree type, this fruit is small to medium round or medium to large oblong shape. Fruit flesh is generally yellow, although some red and orange types exist as well.Plant Specifications
| Plant Height | 18 inch (46 cm) |
| Plant Spread | 6 inch (15 cm) |
| Common Name | Papaya |
| Maximum Reachable Height | 30 feet. |
| Difficulty Level | Easy. |
Planting and care
The best place to plant a papaya is on the south or south-east side of a house with some protection from wind and cold weather.Spread a 3-inch layer of organic mulch around the base of the tree, leaving an 8-inch gap between the edge of the mulch and the tree trunk.
Papaya care
Dig a hole about twice the size of the bag in which the young tree is growing.Remove the soil from the hole and add some compost and manure. ...Take the plant out of the container. ...Do not disturb the roots.Place the tree in the centre of the hole.
| Sunlight | Full sun. |
| Watering | Because of shallow roots, growing papaya trees will not tolerate wet conditions. |
| Soil | Well-drained soil. |
| Temperature | Above 55 degrees F. |
| Fertilizer | Provide young plants fertilizer every 14 days using pound of complete fertilizer. Fertilize older trees with 1 to 2 pounds of fertilizer once a month. |
Papaya uses
Medicinal Use:
- Being a good source of Vitamin A and Papain, this fruit helps in removing dead skin cells along with breaking down the inactive proteins
- The best feature of papaya is its, ,Low Sodium Quality, thus resulting in very little retention of water
- In simple words it means, it helps you keep your skin hydrated
- The application of finely grounded paste of raw papaya on the face for 25 minutes helps reduce those unwanted pimples and other embarrassing blemishes on the face
Culinary Use:
- It is extracted from the tree and the fruit to make dietary supplements, and is also used as a major ingredient in some chewing gums
- Apart from Papains, papaya is also a rich source of antioxidant nutrients such as carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids the B vitamins, folate and pantothenic acid; and the minerals, potassium and magnesium; and fibre
- The pulp of this fruit is also a basic component of many facial creams, and shampoos