The papaya, papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae. It is native to southern Mexico. The papaya is a large, tree-like plant, with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 m tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The leaves are large, 50–70 cm in diameter, deeply palmately lobed, with seven lobes. The flowers appear on the axils of the leaves, maturing into large fruit, 15–45 cm long and 10–30 cm in diameter. The fruit is ripe when it feels soft and its skin has attained an amber to orange hue. In some parts of the world, papaya leaves are made into tea as a treatment for malaria.