THE PAPAYA AND ITS RELATIVES 241 



duce good fruits, of a sweetish, acidulous, perfumed taste. 

 They are suitable, as I have had occasion to learn from experi- 

 ence, for persons with weak stomachs, who cannot eat other 

 fruits. They are particularly good for dyspeptics." Mac- 

 millan notes that the fruit, which ripens in Ceylon throughout 

 the year, is too acid to be used for dessert, but is very agree- 

 able when stewed and can be made into jam and preserves. 



The requirements of the plant are much the same as those 

 of the papaya, except in regard to climate. It withstands 28 

 above zero without serious injury. The seeds are sown in the 

 same manner as those of the papaya. 



There are other species of Carica in tropical America, many 

 of them as yet little known, which may be of value in connec- 

 tion with papaya breeding. C. quercifolia, Benth. and Hook., 

 with leaves like those of the English oak, is even hardier than 

 the mountain papaya, but its fruit, the size of a date, is worth- 

 less. There appear to be in Ecuador several species closely 

 resembling C. candamarcensis, but some of them may be nothing 

 more than varieties of the latter. 



THE PURPLE GRANADILLA (Plate X) 



(Passiflora edulis, Sims) 



The passifloras are known in the Temperate Zone as flower- 

 ing plants, but the species commonly grown in the tropics are 

 cultivated principally for their edible fruits. The most im- 

 portant one is the purple granadilla, P. edulis, known in Aus- 

 tralia, where its culture is extensive, as passion-fruit. 



The plant is a strong-growing, somewhat woody climber, 

 with deeply three-lobed, serrate leaves. The flower, which is 

 white and purple, is attractive but not so handsome as that 

 of some other members of the genus. The fruit is oval, 

 2 to 3 inches long, deep purple in color when fully ripe. Within 

 the brittle outer shell are numerous small seeds, each surrounded 



