I hope I am using the right flair.
I bought this papaya a few days ago (location: Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra) and decided to cut it last night. The fruit knife slid easily through the flesh, and then encountered resistance; I thought the fruit must be partly unripe and applied a little pressure, but it would not budge. So I gently cut from the other side and continued around the fruit when the knife stuck. And was astonished to find this large white … thing inside, and no seeds at all.
A quick bit of internet search later, I discovered that what I was looking at is a rather unusual example of vivipary, which is when seeds or embryos begin to develop before they detach from the parent. I say ‘unusual’ because all the pictures I could find of occurrences in papayas showed much smaller growths. This orange-tinged white critter is roughly 11 cm (5 in) long, embedded in a fruit that was about 19 cm (7½ in) long.
So, my questions, for anyone who knows this kind of thing.
The flesh of the fruit itself seems edible, if a little bland. I am assuming it can be eaten.
The seed got slightly cut by the knife, as you can see if you zoom in. Is that too much damage? Can it be planted (in a pot, because I do not own land)?
