ANNONACE.E— CUSTARD-APPLE FAMILY 



PAPAW 



^ sim in a t) -ilo ba . 



Asiviina 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 lbs. 



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. 



so 



