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Carica papaya

L. (1753)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Brassicales Family: Caricaceae Genus: Carica

hē‘ī, hē‘ï [hei], mīkana, milikani, papaya, pawpaw

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees up to 8 metres (26 feet) tall.

Stems: Stems soft-wooded, usually unbranched with a leafy apex.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades 1.5–6 dm wide, nearly as long, palmately 5–9 lobed, the principal lobes pinnately lobed. Surfaces glabrous. Margins incised and lobed. Palmately veined. Petioles usually 3–10 dm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in staminate flowers numerous, pendulous, in long–pedunculate, branched cymes; pistillate flowers 1–3 in short–pedunculate clusters; perfect flowers similar to pistillate ones but in slightly more delicate clusters. bracts small or absent. Flowers unisexual or bisexual (perfect) and the plants dioecious or bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Calyx of staminate flowers with 3–5 lobes; lobes deltate, 1–1.5 mm long. Calyx of pistillate flowers with lobes deltate, 5–10 mm long. Corolla of staminate flowers creamy white, fleshy, the tube 1.5–2 cm long, the lobes lanceolate to oblong, 1–1.5 cm long, spreading; Corolla of pistillate flowers creamy white, fleshy, campanulate, divided nearly to base, the lobes lanceolate, ± falcate, 5–7 cm long, reflexed; both corolla slender, tubular, the tube very short in pistillate flowers, corolla tubular. Bisexual flowers: corolla tube 1.9-2.5 cm, lobes oblong, ca. 2.8 × 0.9 cm. Stamens 5 or 10 in 1 or 2 whorls; Stamens absent in pistillate flowers; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior (pistilate flowers), 5-carpellate, 1-celled, ovoid, ca. 3 cm long; placentation parietal; ovules numerous, anatropous; stigmas 5, ca. 1 cm long, irregularly branched; in perfect flowers the ovary is smaller than in female flowers. Staminate flowers ovary vestigial, ca. 1 mm long.

Fruit: Fruit yellow; orange; or red; ± streaked with green at maturity; extremely variable in size and shape; 5–50 cm long; ca. 20 cm wide; pericarp yellow or orange; sweet and juicy. Seeds numerous; ovoid; arillate; Seeds with soft; fleshy endosperm.

Ploidy: 2n = 18; 36

Habitat: Cultivated and persisting at old homesites; sparingly naturalized in low elevation; dry to mesic areas.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

  • Yes

Ethnobotanical Images

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Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Birds

Pollinators

Notes

  • According to Hillebrand (1888), the papaya was introduced very early after contact by western man, and naturalized prior to 1871.
  • Description digitized by Mercedez
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • sparingly naturalized in low elevation, dry to mesic areas on Kaua'i, Moloka'i, and Hawai'i, and probably also on some of the other

Bibliography

Name Published In: Sp. Pl.: 1036 (1753)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:497 (K, Mo, H); Oppenheimer & Bartlett 2000:3 (EM, WM); Staples & Herbst 2005:223 (DESCR); Oppenheimer 2010:34 (L); Oppenheimer 2011:6 (O)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Carica papaya Windward side of island, Anapuhi to Wainene long coastal boulder-strewn beach with vertical cliff at back 10-30 m from water. Cliff with Artemisia australis, Chenopodium oahuense, Schiedea globosa, Kalanchoe pinnata, Tetramolopium sylvae, Lythrum maritimum, and Hedyotis littoralis, among others Preserved_Specimen Flowers white; staminate plant Wagner, W.L. 5752 Molokai BISH 1987-08-01
2 Carica papaya W Maui, Lahaina District, Honokahua Valley Growing on E side of streambed on a steep slope, some plants on nearly vertical rock faces. Preserved_Specimen Sparingly naturalized with different size classes of plants observed. Oppenheimer, H.L. 59918 Maui BISH 1999-05-21
3 Carica papaya Windward side of island, Anapuhi to Wainene long coastal boulder-strewn beach with vertical cliff at back 10-30 m from water. Cliff with Artemisia australis, Chenopodium oahuense, Schiedea globosa, Kalanchoe pinnata, Tetramolopium sylvae, Lythrum maritimum, and Hedyotis littoralis, among others Preserved_Specimen Flowers white; staminate plant Wagner, W.L. 5752 Molokai BISH 1987-08-01
4 Carica papaya Kawailoa, Haleiwa sandy loam Preserved_Specimen leaves at top of tree, fruit grows from trunk, fruit edible Afualo, D. 26 Oahu BISH 1975-03-04
5 Carica papaya Maunalei Gulch, gulch bottom; Aleurites forest Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 50811 Lanai BISH 2008-05-29
6 Carica papaya East Maui, Hana District, Kauiki, E side of Hana Bay, Behind Community building along service road Dominated by Casuarina planted in the late 1930's but with numerous other alien species (Terminalia, Syzygium, Ardisia) Preserved_Specimen Male flowers: tube pale whitish-green, lobes whitish; stamens orange-yellow. Fragrant Flynn, T.W. 2517 Maui BISH 1987-10-21
7 Carica papaya Grounds of the Bishop Museum, between big banyan tree at the back of campus and the YMCA property weedy area Preserved_Specimen Feral, herbaceous plant with tree-like habit, ~8'; sap thinly white-milky; lvs palmately compound, peti hollow; fruits borne on the main stem, just below lvs, obovoid, green, ~6 long. Evans, M. 5 Oahu BISH 1990-06-20
8 Carica papaya Na Aina Kai Gardens, Kilauea. Cultivated. Preserved_Specimen Male plant; leaves dark dull green above with whitish veins, below paler; inflorescence pale green, +/- glossy; flower: tube pale green, petals cream, very fragrant; fruit glaucous, medium green. Umehara, M. Kauai BISH 2004-06-18
9 Carica papaya Waialua District, Kauwalu Gulch. From nearby cultivated plants into waste areas. Preserved_Specimen Sparingly naturalized: volunteers spreading Oppenheimer, H.L. 70915 Oahu BISH 2009-07-22
10 Carica papaya Niulii escapee, growing in Casuarina-Pandanus grove near the sea Preserved_Specimen Male tree, ~12'. Trunk hollow, smooth, light brown, with prominent heart-shaped leaf scars. Unbranched, leaves tufted at top of trunk. Flowers fragrant, creamy-white. Herbst, D.R. 935 Hawaii BISH 1968-02-19
11 Carica papaya lower part of Halepuaa Forest Reserve in the Puna District The forest reserve is surrounded by Papaya fields and some plants have escaped in to the reserve. Preserved_Specimen Clarke, G. 79.258 Hawaii BISH 1979-05-05
12 Carica papaya Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park along coastal and inland trail; predominantly exotic vegetation. Area high modified by ancient Polynesians Preserved_Specimen Fl. white turning yellow Higashino, P.K. 10226 Hawaii BISH 1984-04-07
13 Carica papaya Waimanalo Research Station full sun Preserved_Specimen single-stemmed erect plant 1.5 m growing as a volunteer untended. Corolla limb lemon yellow. Corolla tube reddish purple without. Petioles reddish purple Lau, J. 1784 Oahu BISH 1985-12-30
14 Carica papaya Niulii escapee, growing in Casuarina-Pandanus grove near the sea Preserved_Specimen Male tree, ~12'. Trunk hollow, smooth, light brown, with prominent heart-shaped leaf scars. Unbranched, leaves tufted at top of trunk. Flowers fragrant, creamy-white. Herbst, D.R. 935 Hawaii BISH 1968-02-19
15 Carica papaya Mokuleia Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 27799 Oahu BISH 1961-07-30
16 Carica papaya lower part of Halepuaa Forest Reserve in the Puna District Preserved_Specimen Clarke, G. 79.259 Hawaii BISH 1979-05-05
17 Carica papaya Honolulu, Kamehameha Girl's School Preserved_Specimen Tree 9'; 7 months old; +fls; 3-5 fr. on 1 stem; Rankin, P. Oahu BISH 1938-12-12
18 Carica papaya Kawainui Marsh, below Castle Hospital Preserved_Specimen Smith, L.B. 86 Oahu BISH 1976-03-27
19 Carica papaya Kalaupapa; Bayview and Quonset Preserved_Specimen small tree Wysong, M.L. 788 Molokai BISH 2005-08-12
20 Carica papaya Koloa, Lawai Valley, National Tropical Botanical Garden; Big Valley Preserved_Specimen multi-trunked tree of 12'; sap milky; petiole pale green with faint linear reddish colouring; leaves dark dull green above with pale yellow veins, below dull pale green with whitish-green veins; female flowers axillary, fragrant (10 am), base of tube pale green, upper tube and lobes creamy white; immature fruit with dark green skin, white flesh and white seeds Flynn, T.W. 4587 Kauai BISH 1991-05-03
21 Carica papaya O'ahu HUMAN_OBSERVATION 1627511128 Oahu HAPI 11/20/2011
22 Carica papaya unknown Preserved_Specimen BISH
23 Carica papaya [near Hilo, ]Waiakea Homesteads HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Hawaii 2/12/2020
24 Carica papaya Laie, BYU-HC Preserved_Specimen Vea, S. 10465 Oahu BISH 1977-04-06
25 Carica papaya Honolulu, Old Naval Station Preserved_Specimen Garber, D.W. 25 Oahu BISH 1919-10-31
26 Carica papaya Mokuleia Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 28149 Oahu BISH 1962-11-25
27 Carica papaya Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Bryan Jr., E.H. Oahu BISH 1933-03-01
28 Carica papaya Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 10856 Oahu BISH 1935-01-01
29 Carica papaya Honolulu, Old Naval Station Preserved_Specimen Garber, D.W. 25 Oahu BISH 1919-10-31
30 Carica papaya unknown Preserved_Specimen Mann, H. BISH 1864-01-01
31 Carica papaya Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Stokes, J.F.G. Oahu BISH 1918-10-18
32 Carica papaya unknown Preserved_Specimen Mann, H. BISH 1864-01-01
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