Vasconcellea

Vasconcellea
Vasconcellea monoica with immature fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Caricaceae
Genus:	Vasconcellea A.St.-Hil.
Species
See text

Vasconcellea is a genus 20 or 21 species of flowering plants in the family Caricaceae. Most were formerly treated in the genus Carica, but have been split out on genetic evidence. The genus name has also been spelled "Vasconcella".

They are evergreen pachycaul shrubs or small trees growing to 5 m tall, native to tropical South America. Many have edible fruit similar to papaya, and some are widely cultivated in South America.

Species

• Vasconcellea candicans (Mito)
• Vasconcellea cauliflora
• Vasconcellea pubescens (Syn. Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis) (mountain papaya)
• Vasconcellea crassipetala
• Vasconcellea glandulosa
• Vasconcellea goudotiana
• Vasconcellea horovitziana
• Vasconcellea longiflora
• Vasconcellea microcarpa
• Vasconcellea monoica
• Vasconcellea omnilingua
• Vasconcellea palandensis
• Vasconcellea parviflora
• Vasconcellea pulchra
• Vasconcellea quercifolia
• Vasconcellea sphaerocarpa
• Vasconcellea sprucei
• Vasconcellea stipulata
• Vasconcellea weberbaueri

Hybrids

• Vasconcellea × heilbornii (babaco)

References

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Vasconcellea
• Ghent University: Vasconcellea
• Badillo, V. M. (2000). Carica L. vs. Vasconcella St. Hil. (Caricaceae) con la rehabilitacion de este ultimo. Ernstia 10: 74–79.
• Badillo, V. M. (2001). Nota correctiva Vasconcellea St. Hil. y no Vasconcella (Caricaceae). Ernstia 11: 75–76.
• Scheldeman, X. (2002). Distribution and potential of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) and highland papayas (Vasconcellea spp.) in Ecuador
• Van Droogenbroeck, B. et al. (2002). AFLP analysis of genetic relationships among papaya and its wild relatives (Caricaceae) from Ecuador. Theoret. Appl. Genet. 105: 289–297.