Vasconcellea pubescens A. DC., Caricaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Other Latin names:  Carica candamarcensis Hook. f.; Carica cestriflora (A. DC.) Solms; Carica pubescens Lenné & Koch; Vasconcellea cestriflora A. DC.; Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis V. M. Badillo

Common name(s): [more details]

English: mountain papaya, mountain pawpaw

French: papayer de montagne

Spanish: babaco, chamburú, chamburo, chiluacán, papaya de tierra fría

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Small monoecious tree to c. 5 m high. Trunk stout, pale. Petiole to 50 cm long, to c. 75 cm long on young vegetative shoots, densely hairy at first, becoming glabrate, terete. Lamina deeply 5-lobed, to c. 40 cm long, ± horizontal, hairy beneath, particularly on the veins, glabrous above, ± glaucescent beneath; base deeply cordate with 2 lobules of basal lobes often overlapping to form a deep rounded sinus; lobes ± ovate-oblong, 1-5-lobulate. ♂ flowers in hairy axillary corymbs or panicles, pale green, fragrant; calyx lobes c. 1.5 mm long, oblong-elliptic; corolla tube 1.5-2 cm long, hairy outside with lobes c. 1 cm long, linear and revolute. ♀ flowers similar but peduncles short. Fruit c. 8-10 x 4-5 cm, oblong-obovoid, strongly 5-ribbed, yellow; flesh sweet and aromatic. Seed c. 5 mm long, surrounded by transparent aril"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 473).

Habitat/ecology:  In New Zealand, "scrub and waste places near settlements"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 473).

Propagation:  "Seeds prolifically and the seed is presumably carried by birds"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 473).

Native range:  Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Venezuela (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011) As Carica pubescens Lenné & Koch
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 477, 523-524, 552) As Carica pubescens Lenné & K. Koch. Voucher cited: Danton C(805)703. "Este arbusto con frutos perfumados y deliciosos es cultivado desde hace tiempo en RC.  Se resiembra solo.  Algunos individuos bien desarrollados están presentes en el territorio del Parque National, que seria mejor suprimir. Podemos verlo en varios jardines del pueblo de San Juan Bautista en RC".

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive cultivated	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 473)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Vasconcellea pubescens, please let us know.