The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-10-19
The Papaw Tree.

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within Nwo or three feet of the top,
and haAing marks of the fallen
leaves m$st part of its length. The
leaves come out on every side upon
very long tootstalks. Those which
are situated undermost are almost
horizontal, but those on the top are
erect These leaves in tull grown
plants are very large, and divided
into many lobes deeply situated. The
stems of the plant, and also the foot
stalks OF the leaves are hollow. The
flowers OF the male plant are pro-
dnced from between The leaves, on
the upper part of the plant. They
have tootslalks near Two feet long,
at the end of which the flowers
stand in loose clusters, each having
separate short tootstalk; these are
of a pure white, and have an sgreea-
bic odor; they are sometimes, but
not often, succeeded by small fruit.
The flowers of the female Papaw al>
so come out from between the leaves,
toward the upper part of :he plant,
upon very short footstalks, sitting
close to the stem; they are large and
beIl.shaped, composed of six petals,
and are commonly yellow; when
these tall away, the germen swells to
large tleshy fruit, of the size of
small melon. These fruits are Of
different forms, some angular, and
compressed at both ends; Others oval
or globular, and some pyramidal.
The fruit, as we'll as the whole plant,
abounds with milky, acrid juice,
which is esteemed good tor the ring
worm; the stem and tootstalks are
hollow in the middle, and of SO soft
substance that the stroke OF an axe
would cut through the body. The
leaves are used by negroes tor wash
Ing OSnaburgh clothes. The fruit,
when ripe, has pleasant, juicy tia>
vor, and frequently eaten like musk !
melons, TO which it is inferior in tia>
vor, with pepper sugar and salt. In
a green state they make a good
pickle or preserve. 1t is easily pro-
lagated by seeds and lay ers, and
almost grows wild in Jamaica. The
seeds have sharp, biting taste, much
like that Of mustard, and are said
to bring away worms in children.
The tree lives but a few years and
never shoots Into branches unless
broken. Water lmpregnated with
the milky juice makes all sorts of
meats washed in it tender, but eight
or ten minutes sleeping will make it
so soft that it will drop to pieces
before it is roasted, or turn to rags
III boiling. if the meat be rubbed
with the juice it is said to have the
same effect, and for these purposes
The juice Of the wild Papaw, the
prOsoposa, has been found much more
powerful than the, other. Mr.. An.
thony Robinson observes, that having
one day eaten heartily at DINER, he
took as desert, by way of curiosity,
one OF the wild Papaws, and, in the
space OF an hour, the sensation Of
tullness was entirely gone, which he
imputed to the quick digestion Gauss
ed 10y the dissolvent nature OF this
fruit He was informed that the
Spaniards used the Papaw as cure
tor dry belly ache. by eating the
seed and all the pulpy part, and sup.
posed the cure was effected 10y its
power in dissolving the thick viscous
juice which lines the inside OF the
bowels in that disorder.
The male and female trees may be
propagated by layers. They grow
wild ill most parts OF the Island.
Tue long Mango Papaw makes a
pickle little inferior to The East India
Mango. The rounder fruit when
ripe, is boiled and eaten with any
kind o. flesh meat, and is looked upon
as perfectly wholesome; but eaten
raw 1t contains an acrid Juice, very
injurious to the intestines; aud 50
penetrating is this fluid in the green,
unnpe fruit, that, boiled with the
hardest salt meat, IL will render it
perfectly soft and tender.
! he green fruit, thoroughly boiled,
squeezed, and dulctied with a little
sugar aud lemon juice, is frequently
used as substitute for. apples an
sauce and larts, and resembles them
50 exactly i'll taste as scarcely to be
distinguished.
The negroes are possessed with an
opinion OF the good or bad qualities
OF articular trees, when planted
near any habitation, as TO the effects
their nelghb orhood may occasion 10
the inhabital S. This opinion seems
to Uo weli Iound2d; for as trees, es-
\ pecally III ans climate, have a very