Papaya

Papaya is from the lowland tropical forests of South America, and thus needs more water than other food plants we grow here. Therefore it isn't a very common installation in many San Diego gardens albeit easy to find in nurseries. Interesting is that papaya is a evergreen herb, and not a tree. A friend used papaya leaves successfully as a filter for their aquarium. It has inconspicuous white flowers and palmate leaves. Papaya leaves contain an enzyme called papain, used to tenderize meat. Papaya grows to a height of up to 20 feet and a width of about 10 feet.