69 
tree to tree, bearing at one time flowers of the most striking beauty, and of so sin- 
gular an appearance, that the zealous Catholics who discovered them, adapted 
Christian traditions to those inhabitants of the South American wilderness ; 
and at other times fruit, tempting to the eye and refreshing to the palate. 
One or two extend northwards into North America. Several are found in 
Africa and the neighbouring islands ; and a few in the East Indies, of which 
the greater part belong to the genus Modecca. 
Properties. Nothing is known of the properties of this order further 
than that the succulent aril and pulp that surround the seeds are fragrant, 
juicy, cooling, and pleasant, in several species. 
GENERA. 
Smeathmannia, DC. 
Paropsia, Noron. 
Astrophea, DC. 
Passiflora, L. 
Cicca, Med. 
Tacsonia, Juss. Modecca, Lam. 
Monactineirma, Bov. Distephana, ioss. Deidamia, Pet. Thou. 
''Anthactinia, Bory. Paschanthus, Burch. Thompsonia, R. Br. 
Disemma, La Bill. Ceratosicyos, N. ab 
Murucuja, Tourn. E. (12) 
Order XLIX. PAPAYACE^E. The Papaw Tribe. 
Papayje, Agardh Classes. (1824). — Carice-^;, Turpin in All. du Diet. des. Sc. Nat. (?) — 
Papayace^, Von Martins Conspectus, No. 169. (1835). 
Essential Character. — Flowers unisexual. Calyx inferior, minute, 5-toothed. Corolla 
gamopetalous ; in the male tubular, with 5 lobes and 10 stamens, all arising from the same 
line, and of which those that are opposite the lobes are sessile, the others on short fila- 
ments ; anthers adnate, 2-celled, bursting longitudinally ; in the female divided nearly to 
the base into 5 segments. Ovary superior, 1 -celled, with 5 parietal polyspermous placentae ; 
stigma sessile, 5-lobed, lacerated. Fruit succulent, indehiscent, 1 -celled, with 5 polysper- 
mous parietal placentae. Seeds enveloped in a loose mucous coat with a brittle pitted 
testa ; embryo in the axis of fleshy albumen, with flat cotyledons and a taper radicle turned 
towards the hilum. — Trees without branches, yielding an acrid milky juice. Leaves alter- 
nate, lobed, on long taper petioles. Flowers in axillary racemes. 
Affinities. It was the opinion of Jussieu that the genus upon which this 
order is founded held a sort of middle station -between Urticaceae and Cucur- 
bitaceae. Auguste de St. Hilaire has, however, well remarked upon this sub- 
ject, that the only relation that it has with Urticaceae consists in the separa- 
tion of sexes, milky juice, habit, which is like that of some species of Ficus, 
fohage, which is not very difierent from that of Cecropia, and the position of its 
stigmas ; and to these he very wisely attaches very little importance. Its fruit 
brings it near Cucurbitaceae ; but its true place is probably in the vicinity of 
Passifloraceae, with which it altogether agrees in the appearance of its testa, in 
its unilocular fruit with parietal polyspermous placentae, and in its dichlamy- 
deous flowers ; differing, however, widely in its habit and united petals. 
Geography. Natives of South America; unknown, except as objects of 
cultivation, beyond that continent. 
Properties. The fruit of the Papaw is eaten, when cooked, and is es- 
teemed by some persons ; but it appears to have little to recommend it. Its 
great peculiarities are, that the juice of the unripe fruit is a most powerful and 
efficient vermifuge, the powder of the seed even answers the same purpose, 
and that a principal constituent of this juice is fibrine, a principle otherwise 
supposed peculiar to the animal kingdom and to fungi. T^e tree has, more- 
over, the singular property of rendering the toughest animal substances 
tender, by causing a separation of the muscular fibre ; its very vapour even 
does this ; newly-killed meat suspended among the leaves, and even old hogs 
