Papaya gracilis

Description

Family Passifloraceae

Climbing herbs or lianas with axillary tendrils , rarely shrubs or trees , vegetative ramification through a supra-axillary bud. Leaves alternate (rarely subopposite), spirally arranged , simple or rarely compound , stipulate or not, petiolate , petiole or base of blade often with 1 to many glands ; leaf blade entire or lobed , venation pinnate or palmate, often with glands on margin and abaxial surface. Inflorescence cymose , axillary, sessile or pedunculate , primary axis often a tendril, secondary axis often reduced; bracts minute to foliaceous , sometimes glandular . Pedicels articulate distal to bracts. Flowers mostly actinomorphic , bisexual , functionally unisexual , or polygamous; perianth persistent , segments free or partially fused at base. Sepals (3-) 5(or 6) . Petals (3-) 5(or 6), imbricate. Corona inserted on hypanthium, composed of filaments or hairs often in multiple series. Stamens (4 or) 5(-60), inserted on androgynophore or at base of hypanthium; filaments free to base or sometimes partially fused; anthers dorsifixed , 2-celled, dehiscing via longitudinal slits, sometimes with apical appendage . Ovary (1-) 3(-5) -carpellate, superior, 1-loculed, sessile or stipitate on elongate androgynophore; placentation parietal ; ovules many, anatropous ; styles (1-) 3(-5), free to partially fused at base; stigmas globose , capitate, papillate , or divided . Fruit a berry or loculicidally 3(-5) -valved capsule. Seeds numerous , compressed , often beaked , enclosed by fleshy aril; testa reticulate or pitted ; endosperm copious , oily; embryo straight; cotyledons foliaceous.

About 16 genera and 660 species: mainly in tropical and subtropical areas, particularly diverse in the New World tropics; two genera and 23 species (seven endemic, seven introduced ) in China.Yinzheng Wang, Shawn E. Krosnick, Peter M�ller J�rgensen & David Hearn "Passifloraceae". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 141. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- Kingdom: Plantae () - Haeckel, 1866 - Plants
  - Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae () - Cavalier-Smith, 1981
    - Phylum: Tracheophyta () - Sinnott, 1935 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Vascular Plants
      - Subphylum: Euphyllophytina ()
        Infraphylum: Radiatopses () - Kenrick & Crane, 1997
        Class: Magnoliopsida () - Brongniart, 1843 - Dicotyledons
        Subclass: Dilleniidae () - Takhtajan, 1967
        Superorder: Violanae () - R. Dahlgren Ex Reveal, 1992
        Order: Passiflorales () - Dumortier, 1829
        Family: Passifloraceae () - A.l. De Jussieu Ex Kunth, 1817 - Passion-Flower Family
        Genus: Papaya ()
        Specific epithet: gracilis - Regel
        Botanical name: - Papaya gracilis Regel