The papaya tree ( Carica papaya ) is a fast-growing fruit tree.

Of course, the papaya is best known for its delicious fruit, but it is also botanically interesting with a high ornamental value thanks to its exotic appearance. Originally from Central America, it is now cultivated in large parts of the world where the climate is tropical or subtropical. Even in southern parts of Europe.

To get it to bear fruit in our climate it needs to be warm and protected. A heated greenhouse or indoors works well. As a potted plant it will grow to about 2.5 to 3 meters tall before it is ready to flower and bear fruit. But if you have space for it, it is actually quite easy to succeed with, as it grows at a furious pace.

Botanical description.

It is often called the papaya tree because of its plant form, but that is actually incorrect. The "trunk" – which can grow up to ten meters tall – is hollow and does not fully woody, although some of the larger trunks become a bit woody. So, it is neither a tree nor a shrub, but some kind of… herbaceous arboreal plant.

Appearance.

The leaves are arranged in a spiral around the stem and the papaya sheds its bottom leaf at regular intervals. In this way, the leaf spiral constantly moves upwards as the plant grows in height. It therefore becomes bare from the bottom up. The leaves themselves are quite large – up to 50 cm – and deeply lobed, almost like a palm pattern.

Fruit

The fruit of Carica papaya is botanically a berry and can theoretically weigh up to 10 kilos! However, in the varieties grown commercially it is usually much smaller. The papayas we see in stores in Europe usually weigh around half a kilo.

Care.

Use a well-draining planting soil like our peat-free soil . It is a tropical fruit tree and thrives in bright light all year round. In winter, we therefore recommend using lighting for plants. Buy papaya trees online!