Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

papaya Caricaceae Carica papaya L. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: CAPA23
Leaf: Alternate, simple, very large, round in outline, deep sinuses with long finger-like lobes result in a leaf that appears to be palmately compound.
Flower: Naturally dioecious, bred to be hermaphroditic; fragrant; borne in leaf axils; creamy white to yellow with 5 curled petals; blooming throughout the year.
Fruit: Technically a berry that ripens from green to red-orange; filled with a thick orange flesh surrounding a central cavity with numerous black seeds.
Twig: NA
Bark: Green-brown and conspicuously covered in large old leaf scars.
Form: A small mostly unbranched tree with large leaves near the top of the tree.

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Additional Range Information: Carica papaya is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information