Carica papaya

papaya-194800_1920.jpg

NAME:   Carica papaya

FAMILY:  Caricaceae

COMMON NAMES:  Pawpaw, Papaya

LOCAL NAMES: Ibepe, Ojo, gwanda 

MORPHORLOGICAL DESCRIPTION:

Carica papaya is a small, few branched tree, with a tall single stem (growing about 5-10m) and its leaves are large (50-70cm), spirally arranged and confined to the top of the trunk.

USEFUL PART(s): Leaves, seeds, fruits, flowers

GENERAL USES:

  • Fruits are edible raw or cooked

  • Male flower are cooked as vegetable

  • Seed can be used as spices in  salad dressing

  • Papain enzyme as meat tenderizer

  • Used in dye and tanning

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION: 

Spain, Nigeria, Phillipine, India

WHY IS IT GREEN?

  • Gonorrhoea

  • Syphilis

  • Amoebic dysentery

  • Roundworms

  • Abortifacient

  • Emmenagogue

  • Diabetes

  • Convulsion

  • Mental disorder

  • Malaria.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Papaya cultivation requires heavy fertilizer applications.

FUN FACT

The black seed is edible and actually tasted like black pepper

FURTHER READINGS

Fitch, M. M. (2009). Carica papaya papaya. In Biotechnology of fruit and nut crops. https://doi.org/10.1079/9780851996622.0174

Maisarah, A. M., Nurul Amira, B., Asmah, R., & Fauziah, O. (2013). Antioxidant analysis of different parts of Carica papaya. International Food Research Journal.

Singh, S. P., & Sudhakar Rao, D. V. (2011). Papaya (Carica papaya L.). In Postharvest Biology and Technology of Tropical and Subtropical Fruits. https://doi.org/10.1533/9780857092618.86

T. K., L., & Lim, T. K. (2012). Carica papaya. In Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8661-7_97

Teixeira, J. A., Rashid, Z., Tan, D., Dharini, N., Gera, A., Teixeira, M., Jr, S., & Tennant, P. F. (2007). Papaya ( Carica papaya L .) Biology and Biotechnology. Africa.

Yogiraj, V., Goyal, P. K., Chauhan, C. S., Goyal, A., & Vyas, B. (2014). Carica papaya Linn: an overview. International Journal of Herbal Medicine.