[6][9] The papaya is a small, sparsely branched tree, usually with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 m (16 to 33 ft) tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk.

The female flowers have a superior ovary and five contorted petals loosely connected at the base.

[16] The carotenoids, lutein and beta-carotene, are prominent in the yellow skin, while lycopene is dominant in the red flesh (table).

[6][7][10] Papaya is also considered native to southern Florida, introduced by predecessors of the Calusa no later than AD 300.

[6] Papaya cultivation is now nearly pantropical, spanning Hawaii, Central Africa, India, and Australia.

[6] Wild populations of papaya are generally confined to naturally disturbed tropical forests.

Leaves show thin, irregular, dark-green lines around the borders and clear areas around the veins.

[22] The fungus powdery mildew occurs as a superficial white presence on the leaf's surface, which is easily recognized.

Tiny, light yellow spots begin on the lower surfaces of the leaf as the disease starts to make its way.

The spots on established plants start as white, water-soaked lesions at the fruit and branch scars.

[22] The roots can also be severely and rapidly infected, causing the plant to brown and wilt away, collapsing within days.

[22] The two-spotted spider mite is a 0.5-mm-long brown or orange-red or a green, greenish-yellow translucent oval pest.

The spider mites spin fine threads of webbing on the host plant, and when they remove the sap, the mesophyll tissue collapses, and a small chlorotic spot forms at the feeding sites.

[22] The papaya whitefly lays yellow, oval eggs that appear dusted on the undersides of the leaves.

The crawlers insert their mouthparts in the lower surfaces of the leaf when they find it suitable and usually do not move again in this stage.

[24] Historical accounts from 18th-century travelers and botanists suggested that papaya seeds were transported from the Caribbean to Malacca and then to India.

Credit for introducing papaya to Hawaii is often given to Francisco de Paula Marín, a Spanish explorer and horticulturist, who brought it from the Marquesas Islands in the early 1800s.

Today, papaya is grown extensively across the globe, owing to its adaptability to various climates and its popularity as a tropical fruit.

"[citation needed] The large-fruited, red-fleshed 'Maradol,' 'Sunrise,' and 'Caribbean Red' papayas often sold in U.S. markets are commonly grown in Mexico and Belize.

[34][35] In transgenic papaya, resistance is produced by inserting the viral coat protein gene into the plant's genome.

[36][30] In 2022, global production of papayas was 13.8 million tonnes, led by India with 38% of the world total (table).

[39] Papaya releases a latex fluid when not ripe, possibly causing irritation and an allergic reaction in some people.

Because the enzyme papain acts as an allergen in sensitive individuals,[40] meat that has been tenderized with it may induce an allergic reaction.

Both green papaya fruit and its latex are rich in papain,[6] a cysteine protease used for tenderizing meat and other proteins, as practiced currently by indigenous Americans, people of the Caribbean region, Pacific Islands, and the Philippines.

[41]Raw papaya pulp is 88% water, 11% carbohydrates, and contains negligible fat and protein (table).

Green papaya is also a common ingredient or filling in various savory dishes such as okoy, tinola, ginataan, lumpia, and empanada, especially in the cuisines of northern Luzon.

[48][49][50] In Indonesian cuisine, the unripe green fruits and young leaves are boiled for use as part of lalab salad, while the flower buds are sautéed and stir-fried with chilies and green tomatoes as Minahasan papaya flower vegetable dish.

[citation needed] In traditional medicine, papaya leaves have been believed useful as a treatment for malaria,[51] an abortifacient, a purgative, or smoked to relieve asthma.