I have started volunteering again after a year and a half
hiatus. I’ve missed spending time in
this beautiful tropical conservatory but am glad to again see the beautiful and
interesting plant life. The Sunken
Garden's beautiful flower show is vibrant, beautiful and smells
heavenly.
Everything looks beautiful around the Conservatory. The staff strategically locates orchids and other flowering
plants around the Conservatory to add color and beauty to various areas. One plant that stood out today was the Passon
Flower (Passiflora edulis). The flower on this plant was gorgeous. Many visitors were stopped in their tracks
when they came across this little gem.
The plant of the day is the papaya (Carica papaya), reputably called the "fruit of the
angels" by Christopher Columbus. This
herbaceous shrub is native to southern Mexico and other nearby areas in Central
America. Many know that the papaya fruit
is eaten raw, but it is also pickled, jellied, used in curries and added to
stews.
Papaya fruit are rich sources of antioxidant nutrients such
as carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids; the B vitamins, folate and pantothenic
acid; and the minerals, potassium and magnesium; and fiber. These nutrients
promote the health of the cardiovascular system and also provide protection
against colon cancer.
In the leaves and unripe papaya fruit, there is a
protein-eating enzyme called papain. This
enzyme has been used to treat digestion problems. It's used in some commercial meat
tenderizers and has been used to soften wool and to treat natural silk. Papaya juice is applied to stings, cuts,
bites, corns, and other skin problems.
The seeds and latex of papaya have been used to de-worm livestock. In the tropics, papaya fruit throughout the
year. Papaya plants only live up 10
years and produce most fruit while they are young.
For more information:
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=47
Konno, Kotaro, et al. "Papain protects papaya trees
from herbivorous insects: role of cysteine proteases in latex." The
Plant Journal 37.3 (2004): 370-378.
Ming, Ray, et al. "The draft genome of the transgenic
tropical fruit tree papaya (Carica papaya Linnaeus)." Nature
452.7190 (2008): 991-996.
