Papaya trees are botanical oddballs. For starters, they aren't really trees. They are giant herbs pretending to be trees, capable of reaching 30 feet on a soft, somewhat hollow trunk. They cluster enormous leaves at the top while the fruit grows directly from the trunk, as though the plant forgot to grow branches and decided to improvise. They are also in a hurry, sprinting from seed to producing fruit in about a year.
Papayas also have an unusual reproductive
arrangement. Individual plants can be male, female, or hermaphroditic, with
some capable of pollinating themselves. Unfortunately, papayas have zero
interest in challenging a windblown Montana winter. Papayas crave heat,
sunshine, and tropical conditions.
Now, the strange thing: Desiree sliced open a
papaya a few days ago and stuffed a few sections with seeds intact in the
refrigerator. When I grabbed a slice for a snack, I discovered that one of the
seeds had germinated, pushing forth a miniature tusk of a thing.
I think it likes Montana.
I put the sprout in a bowl with a wet paper towel
for a bed. I’m considering giving the papaya a run in the sunroom if it doesn’t
perish.
—Mitchell Hegman
