• The papaya (/pəˈpaɪə/, US: /pəˈpɑːjə/), papaw, (/pəˈpɔː/) or pawpaw (/ˈpɔːpɔː/) is the plant species Carica papaya, one of the 21 accepted species in the genus Carica of the family Caricaceae. (wikipedia.org)