The papaya (from Carib via Spanish), papaw, or pawpaw is
the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in
the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae. It is native to the tropics of the Americas, and was first cultivated in
Mexico several centuries before the
emergence of the Mesoamerican
classic cultures.
The papaya is a large tree-like plant, with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 metres (16 to 33 ft)
tall[1], with spirally
arranged leaves confined to the top of the
trunk. The lower trunk
is conspicuously scarred where leaves and
fruit were borne. The leaves are large, 50–70 centimetres (20–28 in) diameter, deeply palmately lobed with 7 lobes. The tree is
usually unbranched, unless lopped. The flowers are similar in shape to the flowers of the Plumeria, but are much smaller and
wax-like. They appear on the axils of the leaves, maturing
into the large 15–45 centimetres (5.9–18 in) long, 10–30 centimetres (3.9–12 in)
diameter fruit. The fruit is ripe
when it feels soft (like a ripe avocado or a bit softer) and its skin has attained an
amber to orange hue.
