Mountain papaya

This article is about the mountain papaya or mountain paw paw (Vasconcellea pubescens) of the Andes. For the papaya (Carica papaya) widely cultivated throughout the tropics, see Carica papaya. For the Eastern North American tree (and fruit) called "pawpaw", see Asimina triloba.

Mountain papaya
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Caricaceae
Genus:	Vasconcellea
Species:	V. pubescens
Binomial name
Vasconcellea pubescens A.DC.
Synonyms
Carica pubescens Lenné & K.Koch Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis Badillo

The mountain papaya, Vasconcellea pubescens, also known as mountain paw paw, 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) m. It has also been known as Carica pubescens.

Description

Papaya fruits ripening on tree

Vasconcellea pubescens is an evergreen pachycaul shrub or small tree growing to 10 metres (33 ft) tall.

The fruit is 6-15 cm long and 3-8 cm broad, with five broad longitudinal ribs from base to apex; it is green, maturing yellow to orange. The fruit pulp is edible, similar to papaya, and is usually cooked as a vegetable, but is also eaten raw; like papaya, it is rich in the digestive enzyme papain.

Cultivation

Vasconcellea pubescens is one of the parents of the 'Babaco' papaya, a hybrid cultivar widely grown for fruit production in South America, and in subtropical portions of North America.

References

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Vasconcellea pubescens
• University of Ghent: Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis
• Tradewinds Fruit Database