A very desirable Papaya plant, this is a sweet strain with firm red/orange pulp. The Solo name is derived from one fruit being a meal in itself. Its foliage is a beautiful canopy of snowflake shaped leaves. Average weight per fruit is 1 1/2 pounds. Height 7' to 10'..you need two but sometimes both sex flowers are produced on one plant....We ship a healthy 14" to 18" papaya plant with soil, shipping is one $4.90 charge for as many plants as you order A very desirable sweet strain of papaya that has a sweet firm pulp of pink/orange color. The Solo name is derived from one fruit being a meal in itself. An average fruit will weigh up to 1 1/2 lbs. Best grown outside in warm climates, but can be raised inside. approx. 14" healthy plant shipped. 7.95 14.75 Papaya Fruit often called Paw Paw, Mamao, and Tree Melon, grows on what is usually referred to as a tree. But the Papaya plant is actually a large herb growing to heights of up to thirty feet with a hollow green stem becoming up to a foot and a half thick at the base. The leaves emerge directly from the upper part of the stem in a spiral. Both the stem and leaves contain copious white milky latex. Generally, the fruit is melon-like, oval to nearly round. The skin is waxy and thin but fairly tough. When the fruit is green and hard it is rich in white latex. As it ripens, it becomes yellow externally and the thick wall of flesh becomes aromatic, yellow, orange or various shades of red. It is then juicy, sweet and somewhat like cantaloupe in flavor. Papaya is believed native to tropical America. Seeds were taken to Panama and Hispaniola before 1525 and cultivation spread to warm elevations throughout South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Papaya is now familiar in nearly all of the tropical regions of the world. Successful commercial production today is primarily in Hawaii, Africa, the Philippines, and India. Papaya Fruit is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Potassium. Papaya Fruit also contains smaller amounts of calcium, iron, niacin, riboflavin, and thiamine. The most interesting constituent of Papaya Fruit, however, is Papain. Papain is an enzyme that aids in the digestion of protein. Papain is often used as a meat tenderizer, as well as an aid to digestion. Recently, studies have shown that Papaya Fruit has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Papaya Fruit is used in some cultures as a vermifuge.