Papaya (Carica papaya)

Home
Plants by Picture
Plant Taxonomy
Garden Plants
Fruit Trees and Vines

Carica papaya - Wikipedia
Carica papaya - USDA PLANTS Database
Papaya - The World's Healthiest Foods

Duration: Perennial

Native to: Southern Mexico and neighboring Central America

Edibility: Fruit, seeds, young leaves

Status in Yard: Possibly regrowing seedlings

I ended up having papaya trees in my yard because I threw the seeds from a store-bought papaya on my compost pile, then spread the compost to various places in the back yard.

The first papaya tree started growing in the late spring of 2014. This picture is of the young plant growing in front of cucumber trellises, among star jasmine vines, on June 10, 2014.

Click the photo to enlarge it

By September 27, 2014, the plant was about five feet high.

Click the photo to enlarge it

In January 2015, a freeze adversely affected the papaya tree, and I cut it down thinking it was dead. However, two baby trees growing on either side of it survived. I took this photo on February 1, 2015.


On June 29, 2016, both of the papaya trees by the back fence had fruit on them, and the fruit was nearly ready to be eaten.

Click the photo to enlarge it

A papaya flower on July 4, 2016

Click the photo to enlarge it

I harvested several delicious papayas before the trees froze and died in January 2017. I got this one on September 3, 2016.

Click the photo to enlarge it