''Vasconcellea'' is a genus with 20 or 26 species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

s 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 ...

. Most were formerly treated in the genus ''

Carica ''Carica'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caricaceae including the papaya (''C. papaya'' syn. ''C. peltata'', ''C. posoposa''), a widely cultivated fruit tree native to the American tropics. The genus was formerly treated as incl ...

'', but have been split out on genetic evidence. The genus name has also been spelled "''Vasconcella''". They are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

pachycaul Pachycauls are plants with a disproportionately thick trunk for their height, and few branches. This can be the product of exceptional primary growth (as with palms and cycads) or disproportioate secondary growth as with Adansonia. The word is d ...

shrubs or small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s growing to 5 m tall, native to

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

. Many have edible

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

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'' 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 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'' 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 cauliflora ''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 chachapoyensis ''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 chilensis'' *''

Vasconcellea crassipetala ''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 glandulosa ''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 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'' 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 microcarpa'' *'' Vasconcellea monoica'' *'' Vasconcellea omnilingua'' *'' Vasconcellea palandensis'' *'' Vasconcellea parviflora'' *'' Vasconcellea pentalobis'' *'' Vasconcellea peruviensis'' *'' Vasconcellea pubescens'' (Syn. ''Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis'') (mountain papaya) *'' Vasconcellea pulchra'' *'' Vasconcellea quercifolia'' *''

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 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