Carica papayaPapaya

Carica papaya is not quite a tree in the conventional sense. It is a giant soft-stemmed herb that behaves like one, throwing a single unbranched trunk topped by a crown of deeply lobed leaves up to a metre across, and carrying fruit almost continuously from its second year.

In landscape work it is used for immediate tropical effect. It reaches useful height inside two seasons, occupies almost no ground, and is replaced every four or five years as the crown lifts out of reach.

Specifications

• Height3 to 10 metres
• Width2 to 3 metres
• Native toSouthern Mexico and Central America
• FoliageVery large, deeply lobed palmate leaves on long hollow stalks, held in a terminal crown; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilRequires deep, fertile, well-drained soil and will not tolerate waterlogging
• LightFull sun
• WaterModerate to high; needs consistent moisture to fruit well
• ClimateThrives in tropical and frost-free subtropical regions

Additional Features

• FlowersSmall cream fragrant flowers in the leaf axils, borne almost continuously in warm conditions
• FruitLarge pear-shaped fruit with orange flesh, ripening in succession up the stem
• UsesImmediate tropical effect in courtyards, resort beds, edible landscaping and screening groups
• SpacingPlant 2.5 to 3 metres apart, which is close enough to read as a grove
• Low MaintenanceVery little pruning is possible or needed, though plants are short lived and are usually replaced every four to five years
• Pest ResistanceSusceptible to papaya ringspot virus and to root rot in poorly drained soils
• FormA single unbranched stem carrying a bold umbrella crown
• Seasonal AppealFoliage and fruit are held through the year in frost-free conditions

Papaya delivers tropical scale faster than any woody tree, on the understanding that it is a short-lived component of the scheme.