About
Carica papaya is a tall, perennial herb that can grow up to 6 meters in height when cultivated in tropical environments. It features a singular, erect trunk crowned with a broad canopy of large, deeply lobed leaves on long petioles. The plant produces fragrant flowers, which can be male, female, or hermaphroditic, emerging directly from the trunk throughout the year. These flowers give way to sizable, edible fruits that start off green and transition to shades of yellow or orange as they ripen.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, South-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H1B
Plant details
- Plant type
- Conservatory Greenhouse, Fruit Edible, Trees, Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Columnar upright
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 2.5-4 metres
- Spread
- 2.5-4 metres
- Time to full height
- 1-2 years
- Suggested uses
- Patio and container plants, Sub-tropical
- Native to
- S America
- Fragrance
- Flower, Fruit
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Plants require deep, humus-rich soil and sub-tropical conditions to fruit. Can also be grown as bedding or container plants for foliage effect in summer, with well-drained soil, full sun and a sheltered position
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed - plants can fruit within a year in suitable conditions and need replacing every few years
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite, glasshouse thrips and glasshouse whitefly
- Disease resistance
- Susceptible to root rots