papaya

The papaya (/ p ə ˈ p aɪ ə /, US: / p ə ˈ p ɑː j ə /), papaw, (/ p ə ˈ p ɔː /) or pawpaw (/ ˈ p ɔː p ɔː /) is the plant species Carica papaya, one of the 21 accepted species in the genus Carica of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and Central America.