''Vasconcellea'' is a genus with 20 or 26 species of
flowering plants in the family
Caricaceae
The Caricaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Brassicales, found primarily in tropical regions of Central and South America and Africa. They are usually short-lived evergreen pachycaul shrubs or small to medium-sized trees growi ...
. Most were formerly treated in the genus ''
Carica'', but have been split out on genetic evidence. The genus name has also been spelled "''Vasconcella''".
They are
evergreen pachycaul
Pachycauls are plants with a disproportionately thick Trunk (botany), trunk for their height, and few branches. This can be the product of exceptional primary growth (as with Arecaceae, palms and cycads) or disproportioate secondary growth as with ...
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
s or small
trees growing to 5 m tall, native to
tropical South America. Many have edible
fruit similar to
papaya
The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () 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 ...
, and some are widely cultivated in South America.
;Species:
*''
Vasconcellea badilloi''
*''
Vasconcellea candicans
''Vasconcellea candicans'' is a small tree native to the western slopes of the Andes in southern Ecuador and Peru.
Description
Small dioecious shrub or tree to 8 m high. Leaves ovate or almost rounded, with a slightly cordate base, margin enti ...
''
*''
Vasconcellea carvalhoae''
*''
Vasconcellea cauliflora''
*''
Vasconcellea chachapoyensis''
*''
Vasconcellea chilensis''
*''
Vasconcellea crassipetala''
*''
Vasconcellea glandulosa''
*''
Vasconcellea goudotiana
''Vasconcellea goudotiana'' (also known as papayuelo) is a species of flowering plant in the family Caricaceae
The Caricaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Brassicales, found primarily in tropical regions of Central and South ...
''
*''
Vasconcellea horovitziana''
*''
Vasconcellea longiflora''
*''
Vasconcellea microcarpa''
*''
Vasconcellea monoica''
*''
Vasconcellea omnilingua''
*''
Vasconcellea palandensis''
*''
Vasconcellea parviflora''
*''
Vasconcellea pentalobis''
*''
Vasconcellea peruviensis''
*''
Vasconcellea pubescens'' (Syn. ''Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis'') (mountain papaya)
*''
Vasconcellea pulchra
''Vasconcellea pulchra'' is a species of plant in the family Caricaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
It was previously placed in genus ''Carica ...
''
*''
Vasconcellea quercifolia
''Vasconcellea quercifolia'' is a species of shrub or tree in the family Caricaceae. It is found in Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), ...
''
*''
Vasconcellea sphaerocarpa
''Vasconcellea'' is a genus with 20 or 26 species of flowering plants in the family Caricaceae. Most were formerly treated in the genus '' Carica'', but have been split out on genetic evidence. The genus name has also been spelled "''Vasconcella' ...
''
*''
Vasconcellea sprucei
''Vasconcellea sprucei'' is a species of plant in the family Caricaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
It was previously placed in genus ''Carica ...
''
*''
Vasconcellea stipulata''
*''
Vasconcellea weberbaueri''
;Hybrids
*''
Vasconcellea × heilbornii
The babaco (''Vasconcellea'' × ''heilbornii''; syn. ''Carica pentagona''), is a hybrid cultivar in the genus '' Vasconcellea'' from Ecuador. It is a hybrid between '' Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis'' (syn. ''Carica pubescens'', "mountain papa ...
'' (
babaco
The babaco (''Vasconcellea'' × ''heilbornii''; syn. ''Carica pentagona''), is a hybrid cultivar in the genus ''Vasconcellea'' from Ecuador. It is a hybrid between '' Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis'' (syn. ''Carica pubescens'', "mountain papaya". ...
)
References
Ghent University: ''Vasconcellea''*Badillo, V. M. (2000). Carica L. vs. Vasconcella St. Hil. (Caricaceae) con la rehabilitacion de este ultimo. ''Ernstia'' 10: 74–79.
*Badillo, V. M. (2001). Nota correctiva Vasconcellea St. Hil. y no Vasconcella (Caricaceae). ''Ernstia'' 11: 75–76.
* Scheldeman, X. (2002)
Distribution and potential of cherimoya (''Annona cherimola'' Mill.) and highland papayas (''Vasconcellea'' spp.) in Ecuador*Van Droogenbroeck, B. et al. (2002). AFLP analysis of genetic relationships among papaya and its wild relatives (Caricaceae) from Ecuador. ''Theoret. Appl. Genet''. 105: 289–297.
* Tineo D, Bustamante DE, Calderon MS, Mendoza JE, Huaman E, Oliva M (2020) An integrative approach reveals five new species of highland papayas (Caricaceae, Vasconcellea) from northern Peru. PLoS ONE 15(12): e0242469. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.024246
Vasconcellea,
Flora of South America
Tropical fruit
Brassicales genera
{{Brassicales-stub