ANNONACE^E CUSTARD-APPLE FAMILY 



PAPAW 



Asimina triloba. 



Asimina is formed from Asiminier, an early colonial name used 

 by the French for this tree. Its meaning is in doubt. Triloba 

 refers to the blossom. 



A small tree, often a shrub. Its northern limit is the western 

 part of New York, is abundant on the southern shore of Lake Erie. 

 Occurs in eastern and central Pennsylvania, west as far as Michi- 

 gan and Kansas and south to Florida and Texas. Rare east of the 

 Alleghany Mountains, but in the low lands bordering the Missis- 

 sippi River often forming dense thickets. Trunk straight, branches 

 slender and spreading. Roots fleshy ; loves rich bottom lands and 

 sometimes attains the height of thirty feet. 



Bark. Dark brown, blotched with gray spots, sometimes covered 

 with small excrescences, divided by shallow fissures. Inner bark 

 tough, fibrous. Branchlets light brown, tinged with red, marked by 

 shallow grooves. 



Wood. Pale, greenish yellow, sapwood lighter ; light, soft, 

 coarse-grained and spongy. Sp. gr., 0.3969; weight of cu. ft., 

 24.74 Ibs. 



Winter Buds. Small, brown, acuminate, hairy. 



Leaves. Alternate, simple, feather-veined, obovate-lanceolate, 

 ten to twelve inches long, four to five broad, wedge-shaped at base, 

 entire, acute at apex; midrib and primary veins prominent. They 

 come out of the bud conduplicate, green, covered with rusty tomen- 

 tum beneath, hairy above ; when full grown are smooth, dark green 

 above, paler beneath. In autumn they are a rusty yellow. 



Petioles short, stout. Stipules wanting. 



Flowers. April, with the leaves. Perfect, solitary, axillary, rich 

 red purple, two inches across, borne on stout, hairy peduncles. Ill 

 smelling. 



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