The Papaw and the Pond Apple 



succeeded by melon-like fruits, sometimes as large as a man's 

 head, clustered at the base of the leaf rosette. This is the papaw 

 exploited in certain patent medicines. It belongs to the passion- 

 flower family. 



The botanical explorer, William Bartram, wrote in 1790: 

 "This admirable tree is certainly the most beautiful of any 

 vegetable production I know of." The fruits are eaten raw, 

 or made into conserves. The leaves are used by the Negroes as 

 a substitute for soap in washing clothes. But they are especially 

 valued as a means of making tough meat tender. The fleshy 

 leaves are bruised, then wrapped up with the meat and laid 

 aside. A solvent called papain, which the leaves contain, soon 

 breaks down the tough connective tissues. 



2. Genus ANONA, Linn. 



The Pond Apple {Anona glabra, Linn.) is our only other 

 arboreal representative of the custard apple family. It grows in 

 the swamps of southern Florida, and in the West Indies. Its 

 fruits are heart shaped, 4 to 6 inches long, smooth, and when 

 ripe the thick stem pulls out, leaving the creamy, custard-like 

 flesh set with hard seeds next to the large central cavity. The 

 fruit is fragrant when ripe, but not of such quality as would war- 

 rant the cultivation of the little tree. The West Indian Anona 

 muricaia is the Soursop sold on Southern fruit stalls. Some 

 hopeful horticulturists believe the pond apple may in time rival 

 the soursop as a fruit. 



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