268 NOTES ON SOME OF THE EDIBLE FRUITS, ETC. 



;diape, with a rough brown skin. The seeds are large, of a somewhat 

 oval form, with a shining brown testa. The pulp of the fruit is much 

 esteemed, both by the natives and by Europeans. This tree is cultivated 

 in many parts of the West Indies on account of its fruit. It is found 

 growing spontaneously in South America, and other parts within the 

 tropics. 



The Grenadilla (Passiflora quadrangularis, L.) is a large fruit, some- 

 what resembling a melon, but rather more oblong ; its size is frequently 

 fifteen or sixteen inches long, with a diameter of five or six inches. 

 This fruit is much valued for its soft and delicate pulp, which is very 

 cooling and refreshing in hot climates. It has a sweetish, acid taste, and 

 when ripe is of a purplish colour. It is often eaten alone, but wine and 

 sugar are frequently added. The external colour of the rind is of a 

 greenish yellow. The flowers are very fragrant, blossoming fully in 

 August and September. A strong, healthy plant, is very prolific in 

 fruit bearing, producing fine fruits unceasingly up to the end of Decem- 

 ber. It ia a small, shrubby plant, with a quadrangular stem, hence its 

 specific name, and is a native both of Jamaica and South America. It 

 has been introduced into this country, and has borne fruit at Kew, in 

 the Horticultural Society's and other gardens. 



The Papaw (Carica papaya, L.) is a peculiar plant, both as to its 

 manner of growth, and the properties which different parts are said to 

 possess. Some doubts exist as to its native habitat, but it is now found 

 in both the East and West Indies, many parts of South America, Africa, 

 and other tropical climes. It is a tree rising some twenty feet high, 

 with a soft, slender, hollow stem ; it has no lower branches — indeed, it 

 may be said to have no branches at all, the leaves being borne upon 

 long slender stalks diverging from the top of the trunk or main stem ; 

 the leaves themselves are very deeply seven-lobed, the lobes pinna- 

 tifid and pointed. The plants are dioecious, the flowers of the 

 female being much larger than those of the male ; they are bell- 

 shaped,and of a yellow colour. The fruit which succeeds the flowers 

 is about the size of a melon, but of a more oval form. The 

 fleshy pulp is covered with a thin, smooth skin. The fruit, when 

 ripe is greatly esteemed by the natives in some parts, being eaten 

 either sweetened with sugar or flavoured with pepper to take away the 

 strong acrid taste which prevails, owing to the presence of a milky juice. 

 The immature fruits, when pickled, much resemble the East Indian 

 mango. The milky juice from the unripe fruits is used medicinally, as 

 is also the powdered seeds, both being considered a powerful vermifuge ; 

 another peculiarity of this juice is its effect upon the flesh of animals, 

 for by steeping meat in it, even for a few minutes, it becomes tender, 

 and it is even asserted that meat hung in the tree is operated upon in a 

 singular manner * The leaves have the power of creating a lather, and, 



* An article " On the Supposed Influence of the Papaw on Meat " will be 

 found in the Technologist, vol. ii., p. 15.— Editoe. 



