Papaya
About me:
Hii! I’m Papaya. I’m a small tree, usually 15-30 ft tall, with a single stem and branches near the top. I have palmate leaves about 2 ft wide with seven lobes, and white, five petaled flowers. I grow really quickly and start to bear fruit just 6 months to a year after being planted. Typically, I only produce fruit for 3-4 years, but I can live for over a decade with the right care.
Where I live:
You can find me in most of the world’s tropical areas, and both wild and cultivated all over Hawaii. I was first brought here by a Spanish adventurer around 1820. I love the Hawaiian islands because the days are nice and warm, it doesn’t get too cold at night (I hate cold weather), and the soil is usually sandy or rocky so it drains really well. I grow best where it’s not too windy, and not too close to other trees.
Likes:
Full sun
Lots of water
Fertilizer
Fruit:
My pride and joy are my delicious fruit! They’re considered large berries, and are around a foot long. There are two common kinds of papayas, red and yellow. Something you might not know about me is that my trees come in three sexes: male, female and hermaphrodite. Only the female and hermaphrodite trees bear fruit, and the hermaphrodites can self pollinate. My main natural pollinator is the hawk moth.