Author Topic: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya  (Read 31901 times)

recifecbba

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 19
    • South Florida
    • View Profile
rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« on: May 23, 2017, 12:28:36 AM »
anyone heard of this or tried it???? seems very interesting.....



http://www.rareseeds.com/palanda-papaya-vasconcellea-palandensis/

The Palanda Papaya is without doubt the rarest papaya on earth, it is known to grow only on a couple of mountaintops in what was formerly rainforests. The plant is highly endangered because local landowners are clearing the forests and cutting down the plants for cattle range. Without some attention to replanting this unique fruit it is indeed in danger of extinction. It should not be, The fruits have lots of viable seeds and a few motivated individuals could easily grow seedlings and plant them in the nearby villages and backyards. But as of yet, no one seems to pay any attention. The fruit is almost spherical, when cut the thick rind exudes an opaque milk that is full of the enzyme paparin ( a prime ingredient in the meat tenderizer Accent). Inside, is a ball of translucent flesh embedded with the dark seds, The ball breaks apart into five segments not unlike a tangerine segment in form. Shockingly, the segments taste like tangerine! This plant could probably be grown in cooler tropical areas or as a plant in a big pot that you would move outside in the summer. It is likely that more than one plant would be necessary for pollination. A must for the serious fruit hobbyist. Seeds are likely dormant and will be a challenge to germinate. Papaya should be a key, and it is likely that they could take a quite a while 1-3 months to germinate.


Tropicdude

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2117
    • Broward County, Florida, USA
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2017, 01:25:28 AM »
Cool fruit. i was half expecting a face hugger to jump at me.
William
" The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.....The second best time, is now ! "

greenman62

  • CharlesitaveNB
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1277
    • [url=https://vgruk.com/]vgr uk[/url]
    • View Profile

noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2017, 04:51:21 PM »
Hi all,

I have a few Palanda papaya seedlings started.  I got them from Rare Vegetable Seed Consortium, but I see that Baker Heirloom Seeds has them as well.   

I haven't managed to locate much info about them on the net, but I did locate a PowerPoint presentation in Spanish that says they can grow to 6 meters - so they are fairly substantial plants.  The PowerPoint also says that sweets are made from the pulp - so hopefully that means they are tasty. 

Seed germination has been slow and uneven so far, and I'm a bit concerned that their natural habitat appears to be somewhat cooler (60s - 80s F) than I can offer them here in hot, sticky Miramar.  I didn't see that part until after I clicked to purchase.  Oops.  Perhaps I can "pug" them and keep them as houseplants, or restrict their growth by keeping them in relatively small pots.   

We'll just wait and see how it goes....


noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #4 on: June 28, 2017, 04:40:46 PM »
Quick update:  So far 7 of the 12 seeds have sprouted.  The seedlings are fairly vigorous and are now between 4-5 inches tall.  I'm hoping to get a set of true leaves in the next couple of weeks.  It's been quite hot in my seedling room (80-90 F), but the seedlings are growing nicely, so perhaps they are not as heat sensitive as I had imagined. 

recifecbba

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 19
    • South Florida
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #5 on: June 28, 2017, 11:09:48 PM »
very exciting...thanks for the info. I cant wait to hear how they turn out, potentially a new crop here for south florida....keep us posted
 :)

noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #6 on: June 29, 2017, 06:26:42 AM »
Will do! :-)

buddyguygreen

  • Keeper of Earth
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 978
  • Zone Creator
    • Citrus Ridge, FL,
    • View Profile
    • Knowledge of the Masters
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2017, 05:49:28 PM »
I bought the seeds from baker creek when you first posted about it and 2 have already germinated. Thanks for the heads up

noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #8 on: July 01, 2017, 06:46:04 AM »
Please keep us posted, Buddyguygreen, I'd like to know how yours are faring.  There seems to be so little information on them.  10 of my seeds have sprouted now.  Hoping to get some males and females for pollination.  I'm going to try planting them out in November or December to give them a "cool" start. 

Vernmented

  • Starry Nursery/Plant Hoarder/Zone Pusher/Biochar Enthusiast
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1331
    • USA, Florida, Sarasota, 9B/10A
    • View Profile
    • Starry Nursery Instagram
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #9 on: July 01, 2017, 10:07:58 AM »
With all these reports of viable seeds I decided to jump on this bandwagon. I hope they really do taste like tangerines.
-Josh

noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #10 on: July 01, 2017, 10:16:06 AM »
Me too!!!  I hate papaya, but tangerines are delicious :-)

Vernmented

  • Starry Nursery/Plant Hoarder/Zone Pusher/Biochar Enthusiast
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1331
    • USA, Florida, Sarasota, 9B/10A
    • View Profile
    • Starry Nursery Instagram
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #11 on: July 01, 2017, 02:10:23 PM »
Me too!!!  I hate papaya, but tangerines are delicious :-)

I bet it tastes like regurgitated tangerines.
-Josh

noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #12 on: July 01, 2017, 02:40:02 PM »
HAHAHAHA!  If so, I'll be in a quandary.  Preserve a rare species or dig it up cuz it tastes terrible. 

noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #13 on: July 04, 2017, 12:10:18 PM »
It looks like I'm going to end up with a total of 10 seedlings.  The batches from Baker germinated at 70% and the batch I bought elsewhere at 30% - so it looks like Baker was definitely the way to go for these seeds. 

raimeiken

  • Zone: 9b
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 349
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #14 on: July 04, 2017, 07:04:34 PM »
will these handle the cold better since they're highland species?

noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #15 on: July 04, 2017, 09:17:50 PM »
The little information I've found indicates a fairly narrow native temperature range of 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit and 5" of rain per month on average, but the seedlings I'm growing seem to be handling the low 90s with no difficulty at all. 

I've got no idea how they would handle temperatures under 60, but you can always keep them in pots and move them indoors over winter.  Give it a shot :-)

noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #16 on: July 21, 2017, 12:53:24 PM »
Here are a few (badly taken) pics of my seedlings. 

2 or 3 few have died, but additional seeds have also sprouted so my final count is going to be 11 seedlings from about 25 seeds.  I suppose that's not too shabby.  I am getting first sets of true leaves now, and I'm very excited to possibly plant them out in a month or 2.  I'm hoping that they are like my other papayas and are more vigorous once they are planted in the ground.

How is everyone else doing with their seedlings?




 



noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #17 on: July 21, 2017, 12:56:33 PM »
2 more pics of the fruit.  These aren't mine (obviously), but I hadn't seen them before.




cchan

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 20
    • San Francisco California
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #18 on: July 21, 2017, 02:37:16 PM »
I already have 1 ft tall plants of this. They do not like full sun as much as other papayas.

noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #19 on: July 21, 2017, 03:25:15 PM »
Thanks for the info.  I'm going to plant them in my seedling garden which is partially shaded.  Are yours in pots or planted outdoors?

cchan

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 20
    • San Francisco California
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #20 on: July 22, 2017, 04:56:54 AM »
Yes I had multiple plants so I put some in sun and some in shade they grow faster in shade under the one of my trees.

noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #21 on: July 22, 2017, 07:55:53 AM »
Yes I had multiple plants so I put some in sun and some in shade they grow faster in shade under the one of my trees.
Their native climate appears to be somewhat similar to that of San Francisco, so I imagine they will thrive there.  Is there any possibility of posting pictures?  I'd really like to see what they look like when they are a bit larger.

noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #22 on: July 23, 2017, 11:42:03 AM »
I've taken the plunge and planted one seedling in a compost-rich seedling bed outside under a shade tree, out of direct sun.  It's 91 degrees in Miramar today, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

noochka1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • Miramar, FL 10b
    • View Profile
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #23 on: July 24, 2017, 04:21:36 PM »
Here's the link to the slide presentation, if anyone's interested. 

https://es.slideshare.net/gabbyabad2/caricaceae

Vernmented

  • Starry Nursery/Plant Hoarder/Zone Pusher/Biochar Enthusiast
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1331
    • USA, Florida, Sarasota, 9B/10A
    • View Profile
    • Starry Nursery Instagram
Re: rarest papaya on earth. palanda papaya
« Reply #24 on: July 24, 2017, 07:11:42 PM »
Here's the link to the slide presentation, if anyone's interested. 

https://es.slideshare.net/gabbyabad2/caricaceae

Thank you for this. I need to check my seeds to see if they popped up yet. I would love updates if you feel like posting them.
-Josh