Description: A fast-growing soft-wooded plant with a single stem and large deeply lobed leaves concentrated near the top.

Identification: Large palmately lobed leaves; hollow soft trunk; flowers near leaf bases; elongated or rounded fruits.

Habitat & distribution: Tropical and subtropical regions; widely cultivated in Kerala.

Uses / importance: Fruit is an important food crop. Papaya latex contains papain, which has industrial and traditional uses.

Taxonomy:
Kingdom – Plantae
Clade – Angiosperms
Clade – Eudicots
Order – Brassicales
Family – Caricaceae
Genus – Carica
Species – C. papaya

Sources: Kew POWO; ICAR.