Carica Papaya

The papaya is the fruit of the tree Carica Papaya, in the genus Carica. It is native to the tropics of the Americas, and was cultivated in Mexico several centuries before the flourishment of the Mesoamerican classic cultures. The original name of the fruit in Nahuatl was chichihualtzapotl, that means "wet-nurse fruit", and it was closely related to fertility concepts. The reason being that when the papaya is plucked from the tree, a thick pure white sap profusely oozes from the stem that exactly resembles milk.

Nowadays, the papaya is also known as fruta bomba, lechosa (Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic), mamão, papaw (Sri Lankan English), Papol Guslabu (Tree melon in Sinhalese ), pawpaw or tree melon.

Papaya grows easily in Miami. Its fruits can be eaten green in salad (yummy) & here or ripened as fresh fruit (yucky!)