Carica papaya - Papaya

The Carica papaya or Papaya tree is a small tropical fruit tree and a perennial arborescent with a single stem resembling a trunk. At the top, the evergreen foliage, green in colour, arranged in an umbrella shape, is composed of large divided leaves carried by long petioles. Its fruit, the papaya, is a sizeable ovoid berry which can weigh at least 1 kg. Growing papaya can be difficult as it is a plant that likes warm and humid environments with slight temperature variations. It can be planted in a greenhouse or conservatory and heated in winter, but do not expect it to bear fruit. It is, therefore, used as an exotic ornamental plant. The papaya can spend the summer outdoors in a sheltered, warm, and humid location.

The Carica papaya belongs to the Caricaceae family. It is native to Mexico and Central America and naturalised in Africa. It is often found in dense forests. It is a perennial arborescent with a single stem or trunk, with a minimum diameter of 20 cm, semi-woody, hollow, and striated, which can reach a height of 6 m in its natural habitat. A tuft of evergreen leaves, green in colour, forms a spreading canopy at its tip. They measure 50 to 70 cm long, are divided into deep lobes, and are carried by a long petiole. All year round, yellow-green flowers appear on the trunk, at the axil of the leaves. There are male and female plants, as well as hermaphrodite plants. The male flowers appear first and are carried by long, slender stalks, while the female flowers are larger and very close to the trunk. The fruit, the papaya, is a large berry, as it can measure up to 30 cm long and weigh up to a maximum of 5 kg. It develops against the trunk. The juicy, yellow or orange flesh is eaten, surrounding spicy-tasting black seeds covered with mucilage. Papayas are green and are harvested when they turn reddish-orange.

Fast-growing but with a short lifespan (between 4 and 7 years), this tropical plant does not exceed 3 to 5 m in a greenhouse, even less when grown in a pot or conservatory. It is solely an ornamental plant in our latitudes, cultivated in greenhouses and conservatories, at least temperate ones. Temperatures should be above 20°C during growth and between 15 and 20°C in winter. It is a plant that likes light and humidity, with regular air circulation but without drafts. Outdoors, papaya is cultivated in full sun with a minimum temperature of 10°C, and the temperature should never drop below 4°C. It should be sheltered from the wind and in a humid atmosphere, in a humus-bearing, rich, fertile, well-drained, fresh, and non-limestone soil.