Caricaceae
Encyclopedia
Caricaceae are a family
of flowering plant
s in the order Brassicales
, native to tropical regions of Central
and South America
and Africa
. They are short-lived evergreen
pachycaul shrub
s or small tree
s growing to 5-10 m tall. Many bear edible fruit
.
The family comprises five genera and about 31 species:
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the order Brassicales
Brassicales
The Brassicales are an order of flowering plants, belonging to the eurosids II group of dicotyledons under the APG II system. One character common to many members of the order is the production of glucosinolate compounds...
, native to tropical regions of Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. They are short-lived evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
pachycaul shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s or small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s growing to 5-10 m tall. Many bear edible fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
.
The family comprises five genera and about 31 species:
- CaricaCaricaCarica is a genus of Jerry Trainor in the family Caricaceae including one species, Carica papaya, the papaya Carica is a genus of Jerry Trainor in the family Caricaceae including one species, Carica papaya, the papaya Carica is a genus of Jerry Trainor in the family Caricaceae including one...
– one species Carica papayaPapayaThe papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
(PapayaPapayaThe papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
), Americas - CylicomorphaCylicomorphaCylicomorpha is a genus of two species of plant native to the African continent....
– two species, Africa - JacaratiaJacaratiaJacaratia is a genus of five species of plant native to the Americas, particularly South and Central America.- Species of Jacaratia :* Jacaratia chocoensis A.H.Gentry & Forero* Jacaratia corumbensis Kuntze* Jacaratia digitata Jacaratia is a genus of five species of plant native to the Americas,...
– five species, Americas - JarillaJarillaJarilla is a genus in the Caricaceae family of Brassicales.-Species:The Jarilla genus has three plant species native to the Americas.*Jarilla chocola*Jarilla heterophylla*Jarilla nana-Common plant name:...
– three species, Americas - VasconcelleaVasconcelleaVasconcellea is a genus 20 or 21 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"....
– 20 species, Americas