What is a mountain papaya called?
The mountain papaya ( Vasconcellea pubescens) also known as mountain pawpaw, papayuelo, chamburo, or simply “papaya” is a species of the genus Vasconcellea, native to the Andes of northwestern South America from Colombia south to central Chile, typically growing at altitudes of 1,500–3,000 metres (4,900–9,800 ft).
What is the scientific name of the papaya?
The papaya ( / pəˈpaɪə /, US: / pəˈpɑːjə /) (from Carib via Spanish), papaw, ( / pəˈpɔː /) or pawpaw ( / ˈpɔːpɔː /) is the plant Carica papaya, one of the 22 accepted species in the genus Carica of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and Central America.
What happened to the mountain papaya?
The cultivated surface of mountain papaya almost disappeared after the earthquake and Tsunami of 2010 in the Maule Region of Chile, mainly because natural growing areas of the species were salinized and damaged by seawater. Internationally, the small shrub, Vasconcellea pubescens is the only relative of papaya that has been recorded as a weed.
What does a papaya tree look like?
The papaya is a small, sparsely branched tree, usually with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 m (16 to 33 ft) tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The lower trunk is conspicuously scarred where leaves and fruit were borne.
How big does a papaya tree get?
They are later planted out into permanent locations when the plants are deemed large enough. The Mountain Papaya fruit is harvested when it is anywhere from 5–20 centimetres (2.0–7.9 in) long, 5–6 centimetres (2.0–2.4 in) in diameter, and an average weight of 200 grams (7.1 oz).
What is a pachycaul tree?
Vasconcellea pubescens is an evergreen pachycaul shrub or small tree with an average height of ca. 5 metres (16 ft) and can grow up to 10 metres (33 ft) tall. It has one central stem and palmate leaves of 5-7 lobes with thick pubescence on the underside of the leaf and petiole.