Family: Caricaceae
Common name: Papaya, Papaw
No yard in Kerala is complete without a papaya plant or two reaching as tall as the house and crowned by a bunch of green papayas. They usually sprout in the yard from bird droppings, and produce fruit without too much fuss.
Plant Characteristics
Papaya plants grow to a height of 5-6 meters with a straight, semi-woody stem that looks like a tree trunk, and a rosette of leaves on top.
The stem is hollow and has prominent scars where the leaves have fallen off. They are light green in color when the plant is young, and turn woody at the base as the plant matures.
Leaves are 60-100 cm long and deeply lobed with 5-9 distinct lobes. Each leaf has a long petiole connecting it to the trunk, which is 15-25 cm long and hollow in the center.
Papaya flowers are pale yellow or green in color, the size varying between different plants. There are male, female, and hermaphrodite papaya plants, each with different types of flowers.
Male flowers grow on long stalks that can even be branched. Female flowers are solitary and large, each developing into a fruit. Hermaphrodite plants produce both male and female flowers.
The male plants never bear fruit. Female plants bear edible fruits only if the flowers are pollinated. Hermaphrodite plants can self-pollinate and produce fruits.
There are different cultivars or variants produced through selective breeding. We usually see yellow vs deep orange papayas, plants that fruit when they are really short vs. those that have fruits when they are very tall.
Fruits are rounded or elongated in shape, 15 to 45 cm long, weighing 300-3000 grams, depending on the variety. They are initially green, turning yellow or deep orange as the fruit ripens. The inside contains yellow pulp with numerous black seeds and a hollow center.
Gardening Tips
Papaya plants need good sunlight and well-drained soil. Since their stems are soft and semi-woody, they can rot in clayey, non-draining soil.
These plants need regular watering and fertilization. There is no need for pruning. Papaya plants are susceptible to pest and fungal attacks, which should be addressed immediately, lest they affect the fruits.
One Papaya plant lives for 3-4 years yielding over 300 fruits during its lifetime. They are excellent plants for home gardens since they provide a constant source of vegetables in the from of raw papayas and fruits in the form of ripe papayas.
Uses of Papayas
Raw papayas are used for curries and pickles. Ripe papayas are eaten raw after removing the seeds, or used for juices, jams, milkshakes, or jellies.
Ripe papaya is a good source of Vitamin C. A juice from papaya leaves is said to increase blood platelet count, making it a popular medicine for dengue, but it’s not clinically proven.
The chemical called papain from raw papaya is used to tenderize meat. Parts of the plant are used in the treatment of cuts, wounds, sores, ulcers, digestive disorders, menstrual irregularities, worms, diabetes, hypertension, and a range of other common ailments.
Propagation
Propagation is through seeds or tissue culture.
Fresh seeds taken from ripe fruits can be cleaned to remove the pulp and dried a little before sowing in moist soil to germinate.
Tissue culture variants can be procured from nurseries, and they usually grow quicker, yielding fruits in 5-6 months.
Photographed at: Multiple places in Kerala and Karnataka
