Vasconcellea chilensis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vasconcellea chilensis
Scientific classification
Genus:	Vasconcellea
Species:	chilensis
Synonyms
Carica chilensis (Triana & Planch.) Solms

Vasconcellea chilensis is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the Caricaceae family, which is the same family as the papaya plant. This plant is special because it grows only in Chile. This means it is an endemic species to that country. Scientists have found that it has 18 chromosomes.

This plant used to be known by a different name, Carica. Now, its official name is Vasconcellea chilensis.

What Does Vasconcellea chilensis Look Like?

This plant is a shrub that can be either monoecious or dioic. This means it can have both male and female flowers on the same plant (monoecious). Or, it can have separate male and female plants (dioic). It loses its leaves in the summer, which is called being deciduous.

The shrub usually grows to be about 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet) tall. It has a thick and succulent (meaning juicy or fleshy) trunk. As the plant gets older, the bark at the bottom of the trunk peels off.

Leaves, Flowers, and Fruit

The leaves of Vasconcellea chilensis can look very different from one plant to another. They are often oval or triangular shaped. Some leaves are heart-shaped at their base. They are usually divided into 5 angled, thin sections. Each leaf has a stem called a petiole, which is about 3 to 4 centimeters long.

The flowers are small, about 5 to 6 millimeters long. They are red on the outside and green on the inside. The male flowers grow in small groups, while the female flowers grow alone.

The fruit of this plant is oval-shaped and brownish-green. Inside, the oval seeds are covered in a sticky, jelly-like substance called mucilage.

See also

In Spanish: Palo gordo para niños