HaAdama…surprisingly. The Papaya looks like a tree and has all the qualifications of a tree as determined by Chazal. However it lack some key botanical features of a tree and exhibits properties of a “Yerek”. For example it produces fruit within the first year it is planted. Also its trunk is hollow unlike a fruit tree.
Because we do not know what bracha to make so HaAdama is safer bet. Therefore if you are going to eat a fruit as well, make HaAdama on the Papaya first. If you make HaEitz first on the fruit you may have “Patur’d” the papaya from a Bracha.
For the purpose of Urlah we are machmir and treat it as a tree and do not use the fruit produced the first three years. (This is a problem considering the short life span of the tree.) (V'Zos HaBracha)
Anonymous, 2013-08-14 17:46:49 Hello, and thank for endeavoring to share dinei upiskei halacha on otherwise conplicated issues if hilchos brachos. I just wanted to point out that in your remarks regarding Papya you direct one to say HaAdamah before HaEitz when eating it together with another fruit (bc saying haEitz first might cover the Papya). The issue the sprang to mind however, was that if you said haAdama you'd have already "pa'ttered" the Eitz as it includes it! If It would seem to me that Adama Should still be said (in order to avoid the safek) but then with a caveat that no haEitz follow.
Again, I think it wonderful that we can all share and gain insight into Shmirat Mitzvot so easily these days, so thank you for sharing. I hope my remarks are in some way helpful.