Babaco

The babaco plant can produce from 30-60 fruits annually, and has an average life span of about eight years.

Like the papaya, the babaco is grown for its edible fruit and for its fruit juice.

Vasconcellea x heilbornii (babaco)

The Babaco (Vasconcellea x heilbornii; syn.

Her father is the president and chief executive officer of Babaco Alarm Systems in Hackensack, N.J.

The babaco fruit is seedless and the smooth skin can be eaten, and is said to have tastes of strawberry, papaya, kiwi and pineapple.

The babaco is classified as a herbaceous shrub like Carica papaya (pawpaw or papaya) but unlike papaya it produces only female flowers.

Colada morada is a traditional Ecuadorian beverage prepared with black corn flour and fruits such as naranjilla, babaco, pineapple, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries (which give it its color).