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Papaya
Carica papaya
パパイア
An evergreen small tree native to Central and South America, cultivated and naturalized in Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands as a tropical and subtropical fruit tree. Large palmately lobed leaves cluster at the crown, and the trunk is hollow and soft. The fruit is sweet and rich in vitamin C.
Identification Points
- ✓Large palmately lobed leaves clustered at the trunk apex
- ✓Trunk is green and hollow, with leaf scars arranged vertically
- ✓Large elliptical fruits (turning orange-yellow when ripe)
Habitat
Gardens and fields of the Ryukyu Islands and southern Kyushu (cultivated and naturalized)
Season
Year-round (evergreen), year-round (fruits)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Leaf dissection
Dissected
Leaf shape
Round
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Petal count
Many
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Ovary position
Superior
Compound type
Palmate
Latex
Present
Stamen count
5
Phylogenetic Positionパパイア科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Brassicales > Caricaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (ca. 70 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Caricaceae belongs to Brassicales and has intermediate properties between herbs and woody plants. It contains papain, a proteolytic enzyme with applications in the food industry and medicine.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification