Papayas
| Papaya | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Papaya tree and fruit, from Koehler's Medicinal-Plants (1887) | |
 |
|
| Papaya cross section | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Caricaceae |
| Genus: | Carica |
| Species: | C. papaya |
| Binomial name | |
|
Carica papaya L. |
|
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 179 kJ (43 kcal) |
|
10.82 g
|
|
| Sugars | 7.82 g |
| Dietary fiber | 1.7 g |
|
0.26 g
|
|
|
0.47 g
|
|
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin A equiv. |
(6%)
47 μg
(3%)
274 μg89 μg
|
| Thiamine (B1) |
(2%)
0.023 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
(2%)
0.027 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
(2%)
0.357 mg |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) |
(4%)
0.191 mg |
| Folate (B9) |
(10%)
38 μg |
| Vitamin C |
(75%)
62 mg |
| Vitamin E |
(2%)
0.3 mg |
| Vitamin K |
(2%)
2.6 μg |
| Minerals | |
| Calcium |
(2%)
20 mg |
| Iron |
(2%)
0.25 mg |
| Magnesium |
(6%)
21 mg |
| Manganese |
(2%)
0.04 mg |
| Phosphorus |
(1%)
10 mg |
| Potassium |
(4%)
182 mg |
| Sodium |
(1%)
8 mg |
| Zinc |
(1%)
0.08 mg |
| Other constituents | |
| Lycopene | 1828 µg |
|
|
|
|
|
| Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
|
The papaya (/pəˈpaɪə/ or US /pəˈpɑːjə/) (from Carib via Spanish), papaw, (/pəˈpɔː/) or pawpaw (/ˈpɔːˌpɔː/) is the plant Carica papaya, one of the 22 accepted species in the genus Carica of the family Caricaceae.
It is native to the tropics of the Americas, perhaps from southern Mexico and neighboring Central America. It was first cultivated in Mexico several centuries before the emergence of the Mesoamerican classical civilizations.
The papaya is a large, tree-like plant, with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 m (16 to 33 ft) tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The lower trunk is conspicuously scarred where leaves and fruit were borne. The leaves are large, 50–70 cm (20–28 in) in diameter, deeply palmately lobed, with seven lobes. Unusually for such large plants, the trees are dioecious. The tree is usually unbranched, unless lopped. The flowers are similar in shape to the flowers of the Plumeria, but are much smaller and wax-like. They appear on the axils of the leaves, maturing into large fruit - 15–45 cm (5.9–17.7 in) long and 10–30 cm (3.9–11.8 in) in diameter. The fruit is a type of berry. It is ripe when it feels soft (as soft as a ripe avocado or a bit softer) and its skin has attained an amber to orange hue.
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