Trees & Plants

Pappaya

Falhoa, Veyo falho, Rangu falho, Ran falho

Carica papaya L.

Very common in homesteads A major fruit crop. The un-ripe fruits are acrid, bitter, anodyne, aphrodisiac, appetiser, anti-inflammatory, demulcent and diuretic. They are used as a remedy for dyspepsia, anorexia, intestinal worms, bronchitis, haemorrhoids, inflammations, skin disea

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uses: A major fruit crop. The un-ripe fruits are acrid, bitter, anodyne, aphrodisiac, appetiser, anti-inflammatory, demulcent and diuretic. They are used as a remedy for dyspepsia, anorexia, intestinal worms, bronchitis, haemorrhoids, inflammations, skin diseases, urinary calculus and injuries be of the urinary tract. The latex is used to treat round worm infestation, constipation, skin diseases, leprosy, fever and general debility.
family: Caricaceae
synonym: Papaya carica Gaertner, Carica citriformis Jacq. fl
description: Tall herbaceous trees with flwhite milky latex. Trunk with scars of fallen leaves. Leaf blade 30-60 cm long, deeply divided into several lobes which are again divided into smaller lobes with acute apex; petiole 40-100 cm long, 1-3 cm in diameter. Plants mostly dioecious, rarely monoecious with fragrant, nocturnal flowers. Male inflorescence 30-100 cm long pendulous racemes. Flowers in clusters, sessile, 1.5-2 cm across and 3-6 cm long. Corolla tube 3-6 cm × long, 5-lobed, twisted in bud, lobes ca. 1 0.5 cm long, creamy yellow. Stamens 10, in two whorls, outer whorl of the stamens shortly stalked, anthers 1.5-2 mm long, 2-celled, dehiscing longitudinally, basifixed. In female for plants, 2-4 floral bud arise in the leaf axil, one of which becomes a complete flower; other floral buds fall off , flowers seem to be of solitary axillary. Peduncle short, 1-2 cm long. Bracts fleshy, leaf, 1-2 cm long, caducous. Calyx united, 5-lobed, 5-8 mm long, acute, × green and fleshy. Petals 5-6.5 1.6-1.8 cm, lanceolate, obtuse, some plants with female flowers at the end of the branches of male inflorescence, producing elongated and smaller fruits. Fruits large, spherical or × pyriform, usually 20-30 8-15 cm, turning yellow or orange with yellow or orange flesh when ripe. Seeds black, wrinkled, each enclosed in a gelatinous membrane, oval in shape, ca 3 mm in diameter.
native range: Tropical America
distribution: Cultivated widely in the tropics and subtropics
english names: Pappaya · Papas · Papaw tree
flowering fruiting: Th roughout the year
occurrence maldives: Very common in homesteads