Carica
- noun
- /ˈkærɪkə/
- Specialized
- Researchers are studying Carica plants to develop better farming techniques for papaya cultivation.
Examples
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The genus Carica includes various species, most notably the papaya, which thrives in tropical climates.
-
During her botanical survey, she discovered a unique Carica species not previously documented.
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In related experiments, Hawaii scientists have done an exacting comparison of the genetic profiles of more than 60 kinds of papaya, from the familiar Papaya carica varieties that we eat to lesser-known wild-papaya species.
Academic text (2004)
Synonyms
A group of tropical American trees that includes the papaya
Compounds
- Specialized
A wild fig tree often planted near orchards to help pollination
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word Carica comes from the name of an old region, Caria, and in Latin carica it meant 'from Caria' and was used for a kind of fig. Botanists later used that old plant name for the genus Carica, which today includes the papaya, so the name links the tree to an ancient plant name.