Catalogue entry · lab-tested · every claim cited
Papaya is an indica-leaning fruit hybrid from Nirvana Seeds, recorded in two versions: a Citral #13 × Ice #2 cross and a legacy line bred from Jack Herer × Skunk #1.1,2,3,4,5 Papaya Punch, Papaya Bomb and Papaya Cake are separate strains bred from it.6,7,8 It tests at a median total THC of 21.70% across 262 state lab tests of Papaya flower, with the middle half of results between 17.43% and 26.71%, and CBD is negligible: none of the 185 tests that reported CBD reached 1%.9
Papaya is an indica-leaning Nirvana Seeds hybrid with two documented lineages, Citral #13 × Ice #2 and Jack Herer × Skunk #1, and many Papaya-named crosses.
Plate IIPapaya flower tested at 21.70% median THC (17.43%–26.71%) in 262 state lab tests, with limonene the top terpene and almost no CBD.
Plate IIILeafly’s top effects for Papaya are relaxed, sleepy and hungry, but breeders describe one version as almost narcotic and the other as a daytime strain.
Plate IVPapaya flowers in about 8–11 weeks; Nirvana Seeds gives 63–77 days indoors for its current seed. Breeder specs, yields and difficulty side by side.
Plate VPapaya flower was listed by 63 stores near Los Angeles on Weedmaps on Oct 4, 2026, Papaya Kush included. Store counts and eighth prices for 27 US markets.
Plate VIHow a Nirvana Seeds fruit hybrid became two Papayas, a clone-only cut with 106 recorded offspring and California’s No. 2 concentrate cultivar of 2025.
An indica-leaning hybrid, by most accounts. Leafly calls it indica-dominant and places it on the calming side of its scale, AllBud lists 70% indica / 30% sativa, and Crop King sells an indica-dominant seed. Nirvana Seeds, its breeder, describes its current feminized seed as a well-balanced indica and sativa hybrid.1,2,3,10,11
A tropical-fruit hybrid from Nirvana Seeds, the Dutch seed company, with two documented lineages. Leafly says Nirvana bred it as its take on a Mango strain by crossing Citral #13 with Ice #2; SeedFinder separates a legacy Papaya bred from Jack Herer × Skunk #1 from a Citral × Ice version released as feminized seed around 2022.1,3,4,12
Mid-to-high, with wide variation. The median total THC across 262 state lab tests was 21.70%, and 35.9% of tests reached 25% or more.9 Published figures run from 13–18% for Nirvana’s current seed and 17% on Leafly to 20–25% on AllBud.1,2,10
No. Papaya Punch is a cross of Papaya and Purple Punch, and Papaya Bomb (Papaya × THC Bomb) and Papaya Cake (Papaya × Wedding Cake) are other crosses bred from it, each a strain of its own.6,7,8 Papaya Punch has its own guide in the Official Cannabis network at papayapunch.com.
Tropical fruit with a peppery edge. Leafly users list tree fruit, tropical and apricot, and Leafly says it smells uncannily like its namesake, with a spicy, peppery side; Weedmaps describes ripe papaya, mango and sweet tropical fruit followed by citrus, earthy herbs and a peppery-spice finish.1,5
Leafly users most often report feeling relaxed, sleepy and hungry, and Leafly places it on the calming side of its scale; yet Leafly’s description says many consumers find it energetic and productive, and Leafly’s editors list it among strains for feeling focused. The most-reported downsides on Leafly are dry mouth, dizziness and dry eyes. These are self-reports, not clinical findings.1,15
Full lab data: by year, by state, terpenes and the downloadable dataset →
Papaya’s clearest sales signal is in concentrates. From January to November 2025, California consumers spent $2.7 million on Papaya concentrates, the second-highest total for any cultivar after D Cure ($7.4 million), according to Headset data reported by Cannabis Business Times.16 Weedmaps calls the Citral #13 × Ice #2 version the one widely circulating in contemporary flower and solventless circles, and Papaya Bomb, a Papaya × THC Bomb cross, placed second in the 2022 Emerald Cup’s solventless concentrate category, according to Leafly.5,7
It does not appear in the flower rankings we checked: Leafly’s best-selling strains of 2025, Cannabis Business Times’ California flower top 10 for 2024 and 2025, and The Marijuana Herald’s September 2026 list of top sellers by state.16,17,18,19 Its other footprint is editorial and genetic: Leafly’s list of the 100 best strains of all time, updated in July 2026, includes Papaya among strains for feeling focused, its Leafly page has 387 ratings, and SeedFinder records 106 direct descendants of the clone-only Papaya cut held by Oni Seed Co.1,13,15 On Oct 4, 2026, Weedmaps showed Papaya flower, Papaya Kush included, at 164 store listings in 18 of 27 US markets.20
| Market | Stores | Menu items | Median eighth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 63 | 99 | $15.00 (n=33) |
| Las Vegas, NV | 13 | 16 | $34.00 (n=8) |
| Detroit, MI | 12 | 14 | $20.00 (n=9) |
| Seattle, WA | 11 | 20 | $20.00 (n=7) |
| New York, NY | 11 | 13 | $35.00 (n=5) |
| Baltimore, MD | 11 | 11 | $35.00 (n=9) |
Stores within 50 miles listing Papaya flower on Weedmaps, Oct 4, 2026.20
Papaya
Citral × Ice or Jack Herer × Skunk #1? The full genetics page →
The Papaya universe
If Papaya is your strain, you are on the dock before the plane is awake, and on glass-calm mornings you know how to make your own ripples. Meet the Lagoon Mechanic.
