_The slim papaya ripens_, &c.
Papaya--papaw, custard-apple. Flint, in his excellent work on the
Geography and History of the Western States, thus describes this tree
and its fruit:--
"A papaw shrub, hanging full of fruits, of a size and weight so
disproportioned to the stem, and from under long and rich-looking
leaves, of the same yellow with the ripened fruit, and of an
African luxuriance of growth, is to us one of the richest
spectacles that we have ever contemplated in the array of the
woods. The fruit contains from two to six seeds, like those of the
tamarind, except that they are double the size. The pulp of the
fruit resembles egg-custard in consistence and appearance. It has
the same creamy feeling in the mouth, and unites the taste of
eggs, cream, sugar, and spice. It is a natural custard, too
luscious for the relish of most people."
Chateaubriand, in his Travels, speaks disparagingly of the fruit of
the papaw; but on the authority of Mr. Flint, who must know more of
the matter, I have ventured to make my western lover enumerate it
among the delicacies of the wilderness.