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dr_scifi

Male Papaya tree tenacles bear fruit!! WEIRD!

dr_scifi
13 years ago

Okay, I think I have a mutant PApaya tree. I have two papaya trees, one male, and one female. They are both well beyond twelve feet tall now. I leave the male alive so he can fertilize the female papaya on a regular basis. I love my female, she makes lots of papayas almost the size of water mellons. Since the male got so big, I figure maybe its time to kill him. I looked at the tree yesterday, and I saw the weirdest thing. All the tenacles, since males have lots of long tenacles were there, but at the tip had papayas!!

I was like, what the heck is going on? Have any of you ever seen this? The males having fruits hanging on their tentacles? Almost like mellons or something.

What do you think?

Comments (7)

  • jsvand5
    13 years ago

    Can't help you on your question, but why would you kill the male? Wouldn't that mean that you would not get any fruit from the female? Is your female really a hermaphrodite?

  • dr_scifi
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I don't know. I do not think I need any male for it to bear fruit. I just planted 4 seeds and the 4 that made it, 3 were male and 1 female. I kill the other males and left this one. Cold you believe? 3 out of 4 are males? Mind, you I wanted four sons and so far the lord has only given me 2 daughters and no son! LOL, but my papayas are were mostly males :-) In any rate, It's been there a while, it just got so big and it is near the power line the danger part now. Oh well, its not like it bothering anyone. I'll just leave it alone. They don't take much real-estate. I will take some pics for you guys.

  • tropicdude
    13 years ago

    I think your male papaya is suffering from gynamastia.

    ok just jokin'

    I heard that some papaya can switch sexes, not sure if that is true. but your male papaya may have grown some female flowers. maybe the stress of knowing it was going to get the ax, made him change his masculine ways.

    :D

  • swrancher
    13 years ago

    I know execatly what you mean I just had my formerly male Papaya plant decide to see how the other half lives and fruit. Does your Papaya plant look anything like mine pictured below?

    Does anyone know when I should bag the fruit to prevent fruit flies from getting into them?






  • swrancher
    13 years ago

    The weirdest part is this papaya tree is a "chance" seedling in my front landscape bed likely courtesy of a passing bird.

    I was going to cut it down when I first noticed it. Then a week or two after that my wife was helping in the yard and managed to weedwack my 3 foot tall pink lady papaya off right at the base.

    Since I lost the Pink Lady plant I just left this chance Papaya growing. Last year, I saw that it was a male and thought about giving it the old chop but it had kind of grown on me. I was thinking about taking it down once again just a few weeks ago but never got around to doing it.

    After all that I'm just hoping this papaya tastes good. Who knows maybe its a new type, hows "Chance" or "Mystery" sound as a name?

    Harry - I'll make sure you get some to try.

    Tony

  • dr_scifi
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    SWRANCHER,

    Yes my tree looks the same! WOW!! I am glad I am not alone. I was meaning to cut it also, but never got around to it. But, wow it looks exactly like yours. Yeah, once you see a brown spot, take it out immediately cuz the fruit fries are annoying. Send me more pics when you can. My mom once told me if you cut the head of a male it turns into a female. Didn't believe her though. no, this.. Oh well.

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