BOTANY. 79 



quinna of South America, and is often sold in the shops, under 

 that name. The wood of the same tree " the American box- 

 wood" is a very valuable wood of which to make flutes and other 

 musical, wind instruments. It is used also by the engraver of 

 wood cuts, in his trade. It is equally valuable as the English 

 boxwood, which it very much resembles. 



FAMILY. BOTANICAL NAME. SPECIES. 



Pawpaw. Annona. Triloba, 



This is a beautiful bush, between a shrub and a tree. Some 

 of them grow thirty feet high, and are three or four inches in 

 diameter. Its trunk is straight and smooth, its leaves are long, 

 and they are shaped like those of the tobacco plant. Their co- 

 lor is a bright green. Before ripe, its fruit resembles in ap- 

 pearance, that of the date of Austral Asia. This resemblance 

 exists too, in its shape, size and color. The fruit grows in 

 bunches of three, four and five in number, and sometimes, they 

 are twelve inches long and are three inches in diameter. Its 

 flower is trumpet shaped and is of a pale red color. Its blos- 

 soms appear about the same time, with those of the dog- wood and 

 the red-bud. The pawpaw grows all along the Ohio, and its 

 tributary waters, in the richest soils. For the size of the tree, 

 it bears the largest fruit of any plant in our own forests. The 

 seeds of the pawpaw are of a dull-brown color, they are flat, 

 and of a large size. When ripe, its fruit furnishes the opos- 

 sum with a delicious food. The squirrel prefers it, when near- 

 ly ripe. When fully ripe, the fruit is yellow, and resembles 

 the custard in taste and aspect. 



Thus far, we have followed the season in its advances, as to 

 time, but having mentioned one trumpet-shaped flower we wil- 

 lingly refer to others which bear similar shaped blossoms. Of 

 these, there are ten or fifteen species. The largest one, the 

 Creeper has a stem several inches in diameter. It is a vine, 

 ascending our loftiest trees, to the tops of their highest boughs. 

 Itis already extensively domesticated. This creeper and crafty 

 politician can climb up the side of any house, and cover the 

 whole roof, with its vines, leaves and bunches of blossoms. These 

 vines have flowers, several inches in length, trumpet-shaped, 



