PAPAW 



The fruit is an unusual one for northern forests. The 

 early settlers called the tree Papaw because of the resem- 

 blance of its fruit to the real papaw of the 

 tropics ; it certainly suggests a banana. 

 It is oblong in shape, nearly cylindrical, 

 rounded, sometimes pointed at the ends, 

 more or less curved and often irregular in 

 outline ; the flesh is yellow and soft ; the 

 seeds flat and wrinkled. Ripening in Sep- 

 tember and October, it is frequently found 

 in the markets of western and southern 

 cities, and although credited in the books 

 as edible and wholesome, one must be 

 either very young or very hungry really 

 to enjoy its flavor. 



The Asimina is the only genus of the great Custard-Apple 

 family found outside of the tropics, and the Papaw is the 

 most northern species of the genus. 



Fruit of Papaw, 3' to 5' 

 long. 



