Odd papaya

[gnappi]

I don't know how these papaya are suddenly appearing but I figure birds are dropping seeds? So far six have sprouted, one female, a male which I used to pollinate the female then pulled it and a herm with one fruit.

Funny the only papaya nearby has LONG interesting slim banana shaped fruit  and these in my yard have round. Weird.

Anyway one seedling (about 5' tall) is odd. Every leaf has a dark purple stem and purple leaf veins like a person.

 I've grown papaya a long time and never saw a banana fruit or one with purple stems, are these common?

[Coconut Cream]

TR Hovey has purple stems but yellow veins in the leaves. Maybe not a complete match.

[gnappi]

I thought TR Hovey was a myth / scam because I only have seen them on Ebay listed outside the US. :-)

[Coconut Cream]

I thought TR Hovey was a myth / scam because I only have seen them on Ebay listed outside the US. :-)

Definitely not a scam. TR Hovey is a distinct variety that makes huge fruit. Flavor is decent without the funk of Red Lady. Not very sweet. The plant is very beautiful. I bought mine at Incredible Edible Landscapes and Sandra at Fig Casa also has them. The flesh has a slightly mucilaginous quality that works well for making fruit based ice cream. I mostly put it in the Ninja Creami for dessert.