Although originally native to Mexico and northern South America, the Papaya (Carica papaya) is grown throughout much of the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The tree comes in three sexes: a female tree (which produces the fruits), the male tree (which only produces pollen and never fruit), and hermaphrodite (which pollinates its own flowers and produces fruit).
For this reason, if you are growing Papaya, it’s always good practice to plant a few trees, as many a person has nurtured a single tree over years, only to find out it was a male! Ugh!
#papaya #medicinalplant #medicinalfruit #ethnobotany #ethnopharm #agroforestry #mexico #southamerica
Photo by Devansh Verma