Vasconcellea ×heilbornii

The babaco (Vasconcellea × heilbornii; syn. Carica pentagona), is a hybrid cultivar in the genus Vasconcellea from Ecuador. It is a hybrid between Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis (syn. Carica pubescens, "mountain papaya"), and Vasconcellea stipulata (syn. Carica stipulata, "toronche") although Vasconcellea weberbaueri has also been mentioned as a contributor to the hybrid.

==Growth== It can grow at high altitudes over , and is the most cold-tolerant plant in the genus Vasconcellea. The babaco is classified as a herbaceous shrub like Carica papaya (papaya) but unlike papaya it produces only female flowers. The babaco plant can produce from 30 to 60 fruits annually, and has an average life span of about eight years. The small plant is better suited as a container specimen than its cousin the papaya, which needs constant moisture and high temperatures to survive.