Papaya

I drew a single papaya, cut in half lengthwise, so that the curve of the cavity and the shift of the flesh from coral to gold could carry the whole plate. The seeds do the rest. Hundreds of black seeds sit in the hollow, each one wrapped in a clear gelatinous coat. In this papaya print the fruit stands alone, without the tree that bore it. What is left is a study of colour and structure: a smooth, warm wall of flesh around a dark, wet centre, one of the studio’s botanical art prints.

In shortThe papaya, Carica papaya, is a fast-growing tropical herb from southern Mexico and Central America. It is called a tree, although its stem is soft, hollow and never truly woody. The plate shows one half fruit, cut lengthwise, with the black seeds in the cavity.

Key Facts

Is a papaya a tree?

No, a papaya is a giant herb. It looks like a small palm, but its stem is soft, hollow and never truly woody. It still grows fast, adding 1.8 to 3 metres in its first year and reaching 6 to 9 metres in time. Old leaves fall away and leave large scars on the stem, so the plant becomes a tall column with its leaves gathered in a crown at the top.

The leaves are large, 30 to 60 centimetres across, and cut deeply into five to nine lobes. They hang on long, hollow stalks. The fruit forms close against the trunk, just below the crown. The papaya is native to tropical America, probably southern Mexico and neighbouring Central America. It is now grown in tropical countries around the world. Unusually for a fruit crop, it is usually planted from seed.

What are the black seeds inside a papaya?

The black seeds are the papaya’s true seeds, and a single ripe fruit holds hundreds of them. They are about 5 millimetres long and attached to the wall of the central cavity. Each one is wrapped in a clear, gelatinous coat called an aril. Because the fruit usually has five carpels, the cavity is star-shaped to round when the fruit is cut across.

The seeds taste peppery. Around them the flesh is thick, soft and strongly coloured, a combination that signals ripeness to the animals that eat the fruit and carry the seeds away. The flesh moves from green and firm to yellow, orange or reddish as the fruit ripens. Its colour, scent and softness are the invitation, and the seeds are what the plant keeps for itself until the fruit is opened.

Why do papaya plants have male, female and bisexual flowers?

Papaya plants come in three sexual types because the species is polygamous. Female plants bear flowers that need pollen from another plant. Male plants produce pollen but little or no fruit. Bisexual plants carry flowers with both parts and can pollinate themselves. Temperature shifts the balance: cool conditions push a plant toward femaleness, and heat pushes it toward maleness.

The fruit differs with the flower. Fruit from female flowers is round or oval with thin walls. Fruit from bisexual plants is usually longer and pear-shaped. Growers who plant mainly female trees keep a few male ones for pollen, and many prefer bisexual plants because they set fruit alone and give the long fruit that markets favour. The pale flowers appear where the leaf stalk meets the stem.

What is papain?

Papain is a protein-digesting enzyme found in papaya latex. The stem, the leaves and the unripe fruit all carry a milky latex, and it flows when a green fruit is cut. The latex contains papain and a second enzyme, chymopapain. Papain is used as a meat tenderiser and in a number of industrial and medical products.

The enzyme helps explain why green and ripe papaya are treated so differently. Green fruit is firm and is used as a vegetable. Ripe fruit is soft and sweet and is eaten as fruit, raw or cooked. One plant therefore supplies two quite different foods, and the plate shows the second. Growers collect the latex by cutting green fruit.

Drawing the half papaya

The plate shows one papaya cut in half lengthwise, and nothing else. The cavity forms a long curve, and the black seeds lie inside it. The flesh around the cavity moves from coral to gold, and that change of colour, with the curve, is what gives the fruit its volume.

A papaya asks for contrasting textures: smooth flesh against wet black seeds. I kept the seeds glossy against the soft flesh so the interior reads as a built structure and not a flat orange shape. A photograph of a cut papaya often loses that contrast in reflected light, because the wet seeds and the juicy flesh both shine. The hand-drawn digital illustration keeps the two surfaces apart.

Where does a papaya print work on a wall?

A papaya print suits a bright kitchen, a sunroom, a dining area or any wall that needs one warm colour. A pale wood frame keeps the tropical palette relaxed, and a narrow black frame picks up the seeds and gives the image more graphic weight. It can hang beside the sweet orange for a two-print fruit study, set at the same height with generous space between. Warm white, clay, pale sage and natural linen all support the colour without competing with it. It belongs to the complete collection, and it sits beside citrus and other cultivated plants in the studio’s fruit and botanical prints. In the photograph below, a half-papaya print with black seeds hangs in a gold frame above a white mantelpiece, with a gold candlestick, a marble clock and small gold ornaments.

Fine-art print →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is papaya the same as pawpaw?

In some regions, yes. In Australia, New Zealand and parts of the Caribbean, Carica papaya is called pawpaw. In North America, pawpaw means Asimina triloba, an unrelated tree with a different fruit. The scientific name settles which plant is meant.

How big does a papaya fruit get?

Fruit is usually 15 to 50 centimetres long and can weigh up to 9 kilograms, though most fruit sold is far smaller. Shape varies with the type of plant. Round or oval fruit comes from female flowers, and long, pear-shaped fruit from bisexual plants.

What colour is ripe papaya flesh?

Ripe flesh ranges from yellow and orange to salmon and red, depending on the cultivar. The fruit starts green and firm, and the flesh deepens as it ripens. The plate shows that range as a shift from coral to gold within one half fruit.

Where does papaya grow?

Papaya is native to tropical America and is now grown in tropical countries up to about 32 degrees of latitude. It needs warmth and does not tolerate frost.

How is this print made, and how does it reach me?

There are two formats. The digital download is a high-resolution file that you print yourself, at home or at a print shop; no physical item is shipped. The fine-art print is printed to order on archival paper or canvas, framed or unframed, in sizes from small prints to over 150 cm (60 inches), and delivered to your door.