Common name: Papaya
Scientific name: Carica papaya
Botanical family: Caricaceae
 
Shrubby herbaceous plant originating in Central America and the Caribbean and can be cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions. In Spain, they are grown in the Canary Islands and also on the Costa del Sol, where more and more people are choosing to grow them in plastic greenhouses.
Its growth is very fast and its life is short, about two years in commercial plantations, but it can live for about 10 years.
It thrives well in a wide range of soils, but deep, well-draining soils are best suited. It can tolerate slight cold weather, but not frost. Heat is essential for a good vegetative development as well as for a satisfactory production of fruits with commercial quality, the lack of heat reduces their quality. Tolerates moderate winds well. Withstands drought, even though fruit quality and productivity decline with poor watering and fertilization. During the first year it needs abundant nitrogen fertilizations.
It is a very attractive plant from an ornamental point of view, whose shape is reminiscent of palm trees. Its leaves are palmate, very striking, large in size and with wide petioles. Papaya is suitable as an ornamental plant both indoors and outdoors. Indoors, it is preferable to place it in a sunny and ventilated place.
There are three types of individuals in this species: females with female flowers, males with male flowers hermaphrodites with flowers of both sexes.
Papaya only bears fruit around the first year of planting. We recommend thinning flowers and fruits in order to obtain higher quality fruits.
Papaya produces a characteristic elongated and globose fruit with a juicy and sweet pulp with an intense orange color when ripe. Inside there is a cavity with many dark colored seeds. The size of the fruits varies between 300 grams and a few kg, depending on the variety.
It is a fruit that is increasingly sought after and consumed for its very healthy properties. At its optimum point of maturation, the pulp is very sweet and juicy. Papaya is high in vitamins A and C, antioxidants and papain, which facilitates digestion. It is a very versatile fruit with wide gastronomic possibilities that can be eaten fresh, cooked, preserved; made into juices, candied and salads. When it is green, it can be peeled and cooked in water with sugar and cinnamon to obtain a dessert. When very ripe, raw, in salads or cut into slices or cubes, sprinkled with brown sugar and lemon juice.
The latex exuded by unripe fruits has a wide application in the pharmaceutical and food industry due to its high papain content.
The most important pests are spider mites, fruit flies and nematodes. It is also a very susceptible plant to viruses.