An evergreen pachycaul shrub (plants with a disproportionately thick trunk for their height, and few branches), growing up to 10m tall. Grow in Andean regions at an altitude of 2000-3000m. The fruit is yellow once ripe, 6-15cm long and 3-8cm broad, with five ribs from the base to the top.

Crops for the future https://web.archive.org/web/20130518052628/http://www.cropsforthefuture.org/crop-of-the-week-archive/mountain-papaya-vasconcellea-pubescens-caricaceae/

Fruit is grown on a small scale, and must be cooked before eating.

U.S National Plant Germplasm System https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=310753

A potential source of papain (a proteolytic enzyme), which has pharmaceutical and research uses.

U.S National Plant Germplasm System https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=310753

The name honours the Jesuit priest Simão de Vasconcellos, who was one of the first to write a history of Brazil. See https://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/caricaceae

https://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/caricaceae

Southern America