Papaya Facts for Kids

A Picture of Papaya in a Bowl
  • Name: Papaya, Papaw, Pawpaw
  • Type of Food: Fruit
  • Produced From: Carica papaya
  • Total Calories: 45 (one small papaya, 100 grams)
  • Total Fat: 0.1 grams (one small papaya, 100 grams)
  • Total Protein: 0.6 grams (one small papaya, 100 grams)
  • Total Carbohydrates: 11.7 grams (one small papaya, 100 grams)

28 Papaya Facts for Kids

  1. Papaya is a fruit grown from on the papaya tree (Carica papaya) and consumed by humans.
  2. Papaya fruit is also known as papaw or pawpaw.
  3. Papaya fruit is native (originated) to Mexico and southern South America.
  4. Papaya is botanically a berry that is between 6 and 18 inches long with a diameter between 4 and 12 inches.
  5. A ripe papaya has amber to orange hue skin color and is soft when gently squeezed.
  6. The papaya tree has three sexes, and they are male, female and hermaphrodite.
  7. The male papaya tree doesn’t produce fruit, and it only produces the pollen that is used by a female.
  8. The female papaya tree produces fruit but needs to be pollinated by a male to produce edible fruit.
  9. The hermaphrodite papaya tree can self-pollinate and produce edible fruit.
  10. According to FAOSTAT, the world produced over 14 million tons of papaya in 2018.
  11. According to FAOSTAT, the largest producer of papaya in 2018 was India with over 6.6 million tons.
  12. Based on FAOSTAT data, India produced over 47% of the world’s papaya supply in 2018.
  13. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 55 calories.
  14. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains negligible amounts of fat.
  15. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains no cholesterol.
  16. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 4 milligrams of sodium.
  17. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 14 grams of carbohydrates.
  18. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 2.5 grams of dietary fiber.
  19. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 8 grams of sugar.
  20. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains less than a gram of protein.
  21. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 34 milligrams of calcium.
  22. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 360 milligrams of potassium.
  23. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains less than a gram of iron.
  24. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 1,533 milligrams of vitamin A.
  25. One cup of papaya (140 grams) contains 87 milligrams of vitamin C.
  26. Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) and Papaya mosaic virus (PapMV) are two known viruses that can harm and destroy a papaya tree and/or its fruit.
  27. The papaya fruit fly (Toxotrypana curvicauda) and the red spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) are two known pests that can harm and destroy a papaya tree and/or its fruit.
  28. According to the Guinness World Records, the tallest papaya tree (Carica papaya) in the world reached a height of 46.16 feet. This record was set on January 22nd, 2017 by Jhantu Paul in India.

Additional Resources on Papaya

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