Author Topic: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?  (Read 2761 times)

huertasurbanas

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papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« on: April 20, 2018, 04:39:46 PM »
Hi, some forum members told me that my only planted tree had femenine flowers.... but the fruits are forming now... would they be hermaphrodite? there is no other papaya near at all.










sahai1

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Re: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2018, 08:41:27 PM »
for me it looks female, because very few flowers, it has rounded base, and the size of the petals are large.  You can see the stigma coming out, but I don't see any anthers.  The hermaphrodite has anthers fused to the petal walls I believe.. If you cut the flower lengthwise you can really check to see if there are any anthers inside or not.

If you have a hermaphrodite nearby it can pollinate the female, however a male nearby would produce a lot of pollen!  Some fear poor fruit set on females, but my females set more fruit than hermies, and larger fruits, however because they have few seeds inside they are a bit less sweeter and are difficult to ripen because of the big round size.

For that reason I ripen my papayas indoors in a climate controlled room, away from bacteria and pests that would attack the partially ripe areas.  When my female papayas are ripe it is a big mush, but delicious.  The market prefers a more firm papaya.

huertasurbanas

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Re: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2018, 08:51:59 PM »
Very thanks for your comments sahal1; I really doubt there is a male of hermphrodite papaya near me... nobody here grows them! so, would it be possible for a female flower to set fruit alone? (I will try to cut a flower)

for me it looks female, because very few flowers, it has rounded base, and the size of the petals are large.  You can see the stigma coming out, but I don't see any anthers.  The hermaphrodite has anthers fused to the petal walls I believe.. If you cut the flower lengthwise you can really check to see if there are any anthers inside or not.

If you have a hermaphrodite nearby it can pollinate the female, however a male nearby would produce a lot of pollen!  Some fear poor fruit set on females, but my females set more fruit than hermies, and larger fruits, however because they have few seeds inside they are a bit less sweeter and are difficult to ripen because of the big round size.

For that reason I ripen my papayas indoors in a climate controlled room, away from bacteria and pests that would attack the partially ripe areas.  When my female papayas are ripe it is a big mush, but delicious.  The market prefers a more firm papaya.

sahai1

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Re: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« Reply #3 on: April 20, 2018, 09:44:49 PM »
no, without hermie or male flower it won't set fruit.  I think female can change to hermie though by stress.  So some people drive nail into the trunk, or cut off the top.  I think a lot is possible.  I think I see a fruit on my male tree, 1 fruit set in 1000 or so flowers.  It is almost 1 year old now that male.

Just wait a week, if it is hermie  you will see some small fruits next week.

Lory

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Re: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2018, 12:16:11 AM »
Definitely female flowers.
there are just 1 options:

1- you're unaware of the presence of other papaya trees in the nearby

2- you've parthenocarpic fruits. Female plants always produce female flowers. If no male or hermaphrodite plants are nearby to provide pollen, female plants usually fail to set fruit. But Unpollinated female plants occasionally set parthenocarpic fruits, lacking seeds.

http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/crop/crops/i_papa.htm
Lorenzo

huertasurbanas

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Re: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2018, 08:08:09 AM »
no, without hermie or male flower it won't set fruit.  I think female can change to hermie though by stress.  So some people drive nail into the trunk, or cut off the top.  I think a lot is possible.  I think I see a fruit on my male tree, 1 fruit set in 1000 or so flowers.  It is almost 1 year old now that male.

Just wait a week, if it is hermie  you will see some small fruits next week.

So interesting! thanks

huertasurbanas

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Re: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2018, 08:08:43 AM »
Definitely female flowers.
there are just 1 options:

1- you're unaware of the presence of other papaya trees in the nearby

2- you've parthenocarpic fruits. Female plants always produce female flowers. If no male or hermaphrodite plants are nearby to provide pollen, female plants usually fail to set fruit. But Unpollinated female plants occasionally set parthenocarpic fruits, lacking seeds.

http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/crop/crops/i_papa.htm

Very thanks, so we are having parthenocarpic fruits!

I wonder if they will be any good!

Lory

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Re: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« Reply #7 on: April 22, 2018, 07:56:45 AM »
Parthenocarpic fruits have same flavour as ordinary ones, they are just seedless like most of bananas.
All depends on variety and od growing conditions (soil, climate, fertilization, watering....)
Lorenzo

BajaJohn

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Re: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« Reply #8 on: April 22, 2018, 11:55:02 PM »
It looks like you have both male and female flowers in your photographs. The fatter ones are the females and the slender ones are males. This isn't unusual on papaya.

huertasurbanas

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Re: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« Reply #9 on: April 23, 2018, 08:22:03 AM »
It looks like you have both male and female flowers in your photographs. The fatter ones are the females and the slender ones are males. This isn't unusual on papaya.

Ah, ok, I was about asking that! could it be possible? all I saw at youtube is that a plant produces female flowers, and another plant male, and another plant herma...

BajaJohn

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Re: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« Reply #10 on: April 25, 2018, 04:09:27 PM »
Here is a quote from the Florida IFAS Extension - "In addition, some plants may produce more than one type of flower and exhibit different degrees of male or femaleness. This may be triggered by temperature, changing day length, and soil moisture availability. Female plants produce medium to large round-shaped fruit of good quality and a large seed cavity. Bisexual plants produce small to large elongated fruit of good quality and a smaller seed cavity. Male plants with bisexual flowers may produce a few, elongated, pear-shaped, poor quality fruit."

huertasurbanas

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Re: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« Reply #11 on: April 25, 2018, 05:20:11 PM »
Here is a quote from the Florida IFAS Extension - "In addition, some plants may produce more than one type of flower and exhibit different degrees of male or femaleness. This may be triggered by temperature, changing day length, and soil moisture availability. Female plants produce medium to large round-shaped fruit of good quality and a large seed cavity. Bisexual plants produce small to large elongated fruit of good quality and a smaller seed cavity. Male plants with bisexual flowers may produce a few, elongated, pear-shaped, poor quality fruit."

Very thanks!!!

sahai1

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Re: papaya fruit forming: so these are hermaphrodite flowers?
« Reply #12 on: April 25, 2018, 08:01:23 PM »
Here is also some more information, which definitely applies to the papayas here in Thailand.  The female fruit is thinner skinned, more difficult to ripen fully.  My females when they are fully right are very ugly!  The hermies will produce the firmer fruit that can be sliced and diced like cantaloupe.  My female fruit basically cut in half and eat with a spoon, it is very 'soggy', but sweet and delicious.

Also cool note about the males!  My male tree is producing two fruit right now, be curious to taste those! 

Also one of the hermie trees looks like it has a few male flowers, so it seems hermies can also produce female or male flowers on the same plant.