Edible portion : Fruit, Vegetable
A small shrub up to 2 m high. It is hairy or thorny. The leaves are large (60 cm) and angular and hairy on both surfaces. They have thorns along the veins. Young leaves are purple. The flowers are pale violet and 2-4 cm across. The fruit are produced in clusters on the trunk. The fruit is bright orange in colour and covered with short hairs which can be removed by rubbing. The fruit is about 6 cm across. The flesh is yellow-orange to green. It has numerous small edible seeds.
A tropical plant. It suits the highland areas in the tropics. The best altitude is probably 800 to 2000 m. In the Andes it grows between 1,500-2,800 m altitude. The temperatures are 14-22°C. It is frost sensitive. It likes humidity. It grows well with rainfall of 1,500 mm per year. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.