Description
The mountain papaya also known as mountain pawpaw, papayuelo, chamburo …. Vasconcellea pubescens … An evergreen pachycaul large shrub or small tree , up to 5 metres and can grow up to 10 metres tall … Interestingly existence of flowers of different sexes appears to depend on the season … Unique fruit grows spirally along the trunk and a single tree can produce 50-60 fruits per year … Fruit 6–15 centimetres long & 3–8 centimetres wide … Fruits start green mature yellow to orange … The fruit pulp is edible, just like papaya, is usually cooked as a vegetable , also eaten raw … It has one central stem and palmate leaves of 5-7 lobes Endemic to the Andes of northwestern South America from Colombia south to central Chile @ altitudes 1,500–3,000 metres.
Family:
Caricaceae