Male Papaya Plant Characteristics Bears Fruit - Ask Extension
Based on the Aggie Horticulture Network papaya fact sheet, we have a male papaya plant. "Male flowers are borne in long sprays that originate along t...
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Male Papaya Plant Characteristics Bears Fruit #205742
Asked August 10, 2014, 9:46 AM EDT
Based on the Aggie Horticulture Network papaya fact sheet, we have a male papaya plant. "Male flowers are borne in long sprays that originate along the trunk. Each spray is much-branched with inch-long, trumpet-shaped, male flowers."
What I don't understand is why it is producing fruit. They are not the large papayas found on a typical female or hermaphrodite plant. Nonetheless, there is fruit hanging down.
Can someone explain this to me please? The flowers we look at only have stamen.
Thank you...Brian
Willacy County Texas
Expert Response
Is this fruit seedless? If it is seedless and just entirely papaya meat then this is somewhat normal in male papaya plants where there is a mutation that allows the fruit to be triploid instead of the normal diploid fruit. This happens alot in Texas.
