Carica papaya

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Most of us are familiar with the Papaya fruit, the cylindrical, yellow-orange tropical fruit that has a juicy and sweet orange pulp. However, many do not know that its place of origin is in South America.

Carica papaya, papaya fruit
A papaya tree bearing unripe and partially ripe fruits

Before the 16th century, papaya was virtually unknown in other parts of the world. It was the European, who discovered this fruit in the Caribbean and they gave it the same name as the locals call them - Papaya. This fruit is also referred as pawpaw, but this term was reported to be more often used in Australia and New Zealand.

Closer inspection of the papaya plant (Carica papaya) shows that it is indeed very peculiar. For one thing, it is primarily an unbranched plant. The papaya leaves are borned at the tip of the plant, and old leaves would fall off leaving behind permanent scars that marked the trunk. The lobed leaves themselves are very distinct, with each lobe further lobed. 

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