Papaya Facts for Kids

What am I?

I'm slightly sweet with an unmistakable look. I can be grown from a seed, and I grow so fast! I can even grow fruit in one year after being planted. But, I only live for about five years.

I started growing in Mexico. I love tropical weather (hot and humid).

​Can you guess what I am?

Where I grow

​People think I grow on a tree, but it's actually a large plant. My plant produces boy or girl flowers, which dangle from the center of the plant. Bees and butterflies collect pollen from flowers and share it, which is called cross pollination. After this, my fruit can grow. My leaves are very large, about 20 inches wide! 

After I'm picked

​Once my skin is yellowish-orange, I'm fully ripe! But, you can eat the fruit when I'm not ripe - you just cook me like squash. You can even eat my leaves in tea, juice, or cooked. 

My ripe fruit can be eaten raw, roasted, mixed in smoothies, or dried. You've probably tried me in trail mix!

Did you guess... Papaya

Español: papaya

Have you tried papaya before? Papaya is also called papaw or pawpaw.

Feed your food curiosity! Snackster Sam provides fun and educational content about food that grows. Join the adventure. Download the Snackster Sam app from Google Play or the App Store!