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.