Occurrence of Hermaphroditic Plants of Carica papaya L. (Caricaceae) in Southwestern Nigeria

摘要

Morphological sftidies of the three sex types of Carica papaya L. were carried out in order to elucidate the floral differences of the sex types and compare the germination abiUty of the hermaphroditic and female plant seeds. Floral characteristics that are taxonomically important in delimiting the three sex types include, type of inflorescence, petal size, presence or absence and size of corolla tube, size of ovary and fruit shape. Among the fruiting forms, the seeds from female plants germinate faster and have a higher germination index than the seeds from hermaphroditic plants. Nutritive value studies revealed that the fruits on female plants are comparatively more nutritious than the hermaphroditic fruits.