Monday, August 19, 2013

Homecoming: Return to the Conservatory. Plant of the Day: Papaya (Carica papaya)


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.

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