| Mountain papaya | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Caricaceae |
| Genus: | Vasconcellea |
| Species: | V. pubescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Vasconcellea pubescens A.DC. |
|
| Synonyms | |
The mountain papaya, Vasconcellea pubescens, also known as mountain paw paw, is a species of the genus Vasconcellea, native to the Andes of northwestern South America from Colombia south to central Chile, typically growing at altitudes of 1,500–3,000 metres (4,900–9,800 ft) m. It has also been known as Carica pubescens.
Vasconcellea pubescens is an evergreen pachycaul shrub or small tree growing to 10 metres (33 ft) tall.
The fruit is 6-15 cm long and 3-8 cm broad, with five broad longitudinal ribs from base to apex; it is green, maturing yellow to orange. The fruit pulp is edible, similar to papaya, and is usually cooked as a vegetable, but is also eaten raw; like papaya, it is rich in the digestive enzyme papain.
Vasconcellea pubescens is one of the parents of the 'Babaco' papaya, a hybrid cultivar widely grown for fruit production in South America, and in subtropical portions of North America.