| DESCRIPTION: It is a deciduous shrub or small tree reaching 3-12 in height and 4 m in width at a slow growing rate. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are hermaphrodite. The fruit is up to 16 cm long and 4 cm wide. The fruit falls from the tree in autumn and is then stored until fully ripe. USE: The fruit is edible raw or cooked. The fruit can also be used for making preserves, pies, ice cream and other sweet desserts. Caution is advised since the seed is poisonous and the leaves and fruit can cause dermatitis in sensitive people. The fruit is used as a laxative. The leaves are diuretic. They are applied externally to boils, ulcers and abscesses. The seed are emetic and narcotic. The bark is a bitter tonic. A fibre from the inner bark is used for making strong rope and string. The seed has insecticidal properties. A yellow dye is made from the ripe flesh of the fruit. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: Pawpaw, Cherimoya, Common Pawpaw, Papaw Seeds. FURTHER INF: Synonym: Annona triloba (L.). It is an understorey tree of woodlands, growing in deep, rich, moist soils of river valleys and bottomlands, often forming dense thickets and found in woodland, by sunny edges and by South and West walls. It can be found in South-eastern North America - New Jersey to Florida, west to Texas and Nebraska. |