Is the Chinese Quince Fruit the American Papaya?

Identification

• American papaya is a broadleaf evergreen in the family Caricaceae. While many people refer to it as a tree, it is actually a large herb that also goes by the names papaw and pawpaw. Chinese quince is a large tree or deciduous shrub. Its biological name comes from pseudo, meaning false, and cydonia, referring to the genus of the common quince. Both are best known for their edible fruits, papaya often eaten fresh and quince usually used for jams, jellies or pies.

Hardiness

• The Chinese quince, native to China, is a member of the hardy rose family and does well in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 8. Near the southern edge of its growing range, it should be sited somewhere it receives adequate moisture. Although it will tolerate drought, it prefers even, well-drained soils. American papaya, on the other hand, is native to South America and is tropical in nature. Hardy in USDA zones 10 through 12, it also prefers consistent moisture and cannot tolerate frost at all. Both plants prefer full sun.

Appearance

• Both Chinese quince and American papaya are capable of growing to about 20 feet tall, though papayas may be as short as six feet while Chinese quince usually attains a height of at least 10. They differ in their spread as well: While quince has a narrow crown, between five and 10 feet, papaya may be either narrow or wide, spreading to between three and 15 feet. The Chinese quince has oval, slightly toothed, two- to four-inch leaves, while the American papaya has huge, ornate leaves with seven lobes in a palmate arrangement, up to two feet wide.

Flowers and Fruit

• The American papaya is probably the better known of the two fruits, at least in the United States. Its large black seeds and fleshy orange pulp are well-known additions to the tropical fruit plate, while Chinese quince’s round, four- to seven-inch-long fruits are a little more exotic. Both fruits start out green-skinned and mature to a yellow or yellowish-orange color when ripe. While papaya’s flowers appear throughout the year and are fragrant, trumpet-shaped and yellow, quince blooms in spring and has cup-shaped, pink flowers.