Babaco
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Brassicales Family: Caricaceae Genus: Vasconcellea Species: V. pentagona
Binomial name
Vasconcellea ×heilbornii (V.M.Badillo) V.M.Badillo

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), and Vasconcellea stipulata (syn. Carica stipulata). It can grow at high altitudes (over 2,000 m), and is the most cold-tolerant plant in the genus Vasconcellea. The babaco is classified as a herbaceous shrub like Carica papaya (pawpaw or papaya) but unlike papaya it produces only female flowers. The babaco can produce from 30-60 fruits annually. The babaco plant has an average life span of about eight years. Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta—liverworts Anthocerotophyta—hornworts Bryophyta—mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta—rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta—zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta—clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta—trimerophytes Pteridophyta—ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta—seed ferns Pinophyta—conifers Cycadophyta—cycads Ginkgophyta—ginkgo Gnetophyta—gnetae Magnoliophyta—flowering plants... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class: this name is formed by replacing the termination -aceae in the name Magnoliaceae by the termination -opsida (Art 16 of the ICBN). ... Families See text. ... Genera See text Caricaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Brassicales, native to tropical regions of Central and South America and Africa. ... Species See text Vasconcellea is a genus 20 or 21 species of flowering plants in the family Caricaceae. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... // This article is about a biological term. ... This Osteospermum Pink Whirls is a successful cultivar. ... Species See text Vasconcellea is a genus 20 or 21 species of flowering plants in the family Caricaceae. ... // This article is about a biological term. ... Binomial name Carica pubescens Linné and Koch The mountain papaya (Carica pubescens), is a species of the genus Carica from northwestern South America. ... Binomial name Carica papaya L. The papaya, also known as mamão, tree melon, fruta bomba, lechosa (Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic), or pawpaw is the fruit of the tree Carica papaya, in the genus Carica. ...

It is a small unbranched or sparsely branched tree reaching 5-8 m tall. The fruit differs from the related papaya (C. papaya) in being narrower, typically less than 10 cm in diameter. The babaco fruit is seedless and the smooth skin can be eaten and is said to have a tastes of strawberry, papaya, kiwi and pineapple. The fruit is pentagonal in shape, therefore giving it the scientific name of Carica Pentagona. The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Carica papaya L. The papaya, also known as mamão, tree melon, fruta bomba, lechosa (Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic), or pawpaw is the fruit of the tree Carica papaya, in the genus Carica. ...

Like the papaya, the babaco is grown for its edible fruit and for its fruit juice. Cultivation away from its native range has been successful as far south as New Zealand, and north to Guernsey. Orange juice Juice is a liquid naturally contained in vegetable or fruit tissue. ...

References

• University of Ghent: Vasconcellea ×heilbornii
• Babaco Carica Pentagona
• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Vasconcellea ×heilbornii
• California Rare Fruit Growers Babaco fact sheet