66 ANONACE.E. 



abled us to detect a thin and fleshy arillus which completely incloses the 

 ripe seeds; and a dried fruit of A. parviflora exhibits manifest traces of a 

 similar integument. 



Our Papaws, therefore, offer an exception to De Candolle's remark, that 

 those Anonaeea: winch have arillate seeds along with a smooth pericarp are 

 always highly aromatic. 



I possess no means for determining whether the Asiatic original species 

 of Uvaria are really destitute of such an arillus, which, confounded with 

 the surrounding pulp, might have escaped detection as readily in these 

 as 11 has in the American species. But, without laying stress upon the 

 more or less imbricated aestivation of the corolla in A. triloba and A. par- 

 villora (which is not very distinct in the young flower-bud, and is likely to 

 occur in other cases where the petals are broadly ovate or rounded*), it 

 appears on every ground probable that our species are not congeneric with 

 those of tropical Asia, and therefore that the genus Asimina should be re- 

 stored. To avoid ambiguity, I have drawn its character entirely from our 

 United States species, and principally from A. triloba and A. parviflora (of 

 which alone I have seen the fruit) ; leaving it for future investigation to de- 

 termine whether it is to embrace the few allied South American species, or 

 whether these should be referred to Porcelia, Ruiz 4- Pav., with which they 

 all apparently agree in having their inner petals larger than the outer ; while 

 in ours the exterior petals are much larger than the interior. 



The popular name of Papain was doubtless given to the fruit of Asimina 

 triloba from a fancied resemblance in the appearance or taste of the fruit to 

 the true Papaw of tropical America (the fruit of Carka Papaya). Asiminier, 

 from which Asimina was formed, is the name by which the fruit was known 

 among the old French colonists. 



* As, for instance, in Uvaria IN'arum, Wight, 111. hid. But. t. 5. 



