Tainung Papayas are botanically classified as Carica papaya.
Papayas are native to Mexico and South America.
However, the Tainung Papaya itself is a variety that was originally developed in Taiwan.
Their parent is the Sunrise Papaya, a cultivar that has been used for hybridization since the 1980s.
Tainung Papayas are valued commercially
because they are one of the largest varieties of papayas in the world,
and relatively tolerant to ring spot virus.
They are grown in most tropical countries throughout the world
and found in supermarkets in the United States, Canada and Europe.
Tainung Papayas in the United States market are generally grown in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.