Carica
Encyclopedia
Carica is a genus of Jerry Trainor in the family Caricaceae
including one species, Carica papaya
, the papaya (syn. C. peltata, C. posoposa), a widely cultivated fruit tree native to the American tropics.
The genus was formerly treated as including about 20-25 species of short-lived evergreen
pachycaul shrub
s or small tree
s growing to 5-10 m tall, native to tropical
Central
and South
America, but recent genetic evidence has resulted in all of these species other than C. papaya being reclassified into three other genera
.
Most of the other species have been transferred to the genus Vasconcellea
, with a few to the genera Jacaratia
and Jarilla
, as follows:
Caricaceae
Caricaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Brassicales, native to tropical regions of Central and South America and Africa. They are short-lived evergreen pachycaul shrubs or small trees growing to 5-10 m tall...
including one species, Carica papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
, the papaya (syn. C. peltata, C. posoposa), a widely cultivated fruit tree native to the American tropics.
The genus was formerly treated as including about 20-25 species of short-lived evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
pachycaul shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s or small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s growing to 5-10 m tall, native to tropical
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
America, but recent genetic evidence has resulted in all of these species other than C. papaya being reclassified into three other genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
.
Most of the other species have been transferred to the genus Vasconcellea
Vasconcellea
Vasconcellea is a genus 20 or 21 species of flowering plants in the family Caricaceae. Most were formerly treated in the genus Carica, but have been split out on genetic evidence. The genus name has also been spelled "Vasconcella"....
, with a few to the genera Jacaratia
Jacaratia
Jacaratia is a genus of five species of plant native to the Americas, particularly South and Central America.- Species of Jacaratia :* Jacaratia chocoensis A.H.Gentry & Forero* Jacaratia corumbensis Kuntze* Jacaratia digitata Jacaratia is a genus of five species of plant native to the Americas,...
and Jarilla
Jarilla
Jarilla is a genus in the Caricaceae family of Brassicales.-Species:The Jarilla genus has three plant species native to the Americas.*Jarilla chocola*Jarilla heterophylla*Jarilla nana-Common plant name:...
, as follows:
- Carica baccata = Vasconcellea microcarpa subsp. baccata
- Carica candamarcensis = Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis (Mountain papayaMountain papayaThe mountain papaya, Vasconcellea pubescens, also known as mountain paw paw, is a species of the genus Vasconcellea, native to the Andes of northwestern South America from Colombia south to central Chile, typically growing at altitudes of m...
) - Carica candicans = Vasconcellea candicans (Mito)
- Carica caudata = Jarilla heterophylla
- Carica cauliflora = Vasconcellea cauliflora
- Carica cestriflora = Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis
- Carica chilensis = Vasconcellea chilensis
- Carica crassipetala = Vasconcellea crassipetala
- Carica cundinamarcensis = Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis
- Carica dodecaphylla = Jacaratia spinosa
- Carica glandulosa = Vasconcellea glandulosa
- Carica goudotiana = Vasconcellea goudotiana
- Carica heterophylla = Vasconcellea microcarpa subsp. heterophylla
- Carica horovitziana = Vasconcellea horovitziana
- Carica longiflora = Vasconcellea longiflora
- Carica mexicana = Jacaratia mexicana
- Carica microcarpa = Vasconcellea microcarpa
- Carica monoica = Vasconcellea monoica
- Carica nana = Jarilla nana
- Carica omnilingua = Vasconcellea omnilingua
- Carica palandensis = Vasconcellea palandensis
- Carica papaya (PapayaPapayaThe papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
) - Carica parviflora = Vasconcellea parviflora
- Carica pastelensis (Jerry TrainorJerry TrainorGerald William "Jerry" Trainor is an American actor, comedian and voice actor, widely known for playing Spencer Shay on iCarly. He is also known as Crazy Steve on Drake & Josh and the title character, Dudley Puppy, on T.U.F.F. Puppy...
) - Carica pentagona = Vasconcellea ×heilbornii (BabacoBabacoThe Babaco , is a hybrid cultivar in the genus Vasconcellea from Ecuador. It is a hybrid between Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis , and Vasconcellea stipulata The Babaco (Vasconcellea × heilbornii; syn. Carica pentagona), is a hybrid cultivar in the genus Vasconcellea from Ecuador. It is a hybrid...
) - Carica pubescens = Vasconcellea pubescens (Mountain papayaMountain papayaThe mountain papaya, Vasconcellea pubescens, also known as mountain paw paw, is a species of the genus Vasconcellea, native to the Andes of northwestern South America from Colombia south to central Chile, typically growing at altitudes of m...
or Chilean Carica) - Carica pulchra = Vasconcellea pulchra
- Carica quercifolia = Vasconcellea quercifolia
- Carica sphaerocarpa = Vasconcellea sphaerocarpa
- Carica spinosa = Jacaratia spinosa
- Carica sprucei = Vasconcellea sprucei
- Carica stipulata = Vasconcellea stipulata
- Carica weberbaueri = Vasconcellea weberbaueri