Mountain Paw Paw
Vasconcellea pubescens syn. Carica pubescensCreate a tropical look in your garden with this easy-to-grow exotic. A cool climate paw paw that can take light frosts and produces ribbed fruit that turn yellow when ripe. Scoop out and eat the pulpy seeds just like passionfruit. The flowers and ripening fruit are fragrant and the deeply lobed leaves to 60cm across make this paw paw as ornamental as it is delicious. Plants can be male, female or hermaphrodite, so planting a few planted together not only looks exotic, but will ensure fruit set.
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Mountain Paw Paw
Also known as Mountain Papaya or Wild Papaya, this tropical and subtropical fruit is native to Central and South America. With a long history of traditional medicinal use by indigenous communities where it was used for its anti-inflammatory and digestive properties. The fruit is sweet and tropical with a mild, pleasant taste that has a subtle melon-tropical flavour. Unripe fruit is more tangy and suited to savoury dishes and salads.
Plant in a well-drained soil. Surprisingly drought tolerant once established, plants prefer regular water while young. Naturally growing in cool tropical to subtropical climates (10-28 degrees C), provide adequate protection in cold climates by growing in pots or planting against a sheltered north facing wall for radiant heat. More cold tolerant than common Paw Paw, while Mountain Paw Paw can withstand light frosts, temperatures below 2 degrees C can cause plant death.