# Pawpaw Bark Cord



## RBM (Nov 12, 2015)

Just did a video on Pawpaw bark cord. I am sure it will work on the firebow. The cord in the video eventually wore (stretched) out and broke even with the Egyptian method after at least two attempts. I re-corded it and used it on another attempt. The failure to get a coal was mine, not the cord. The cord did really good for a natural plant fiber cord so I will have to try it again sometime when I can.


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## Flaustin1 (Nov 13, 2015)

Whats the process for actually making the cord?


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## RBM (Nov 13, 2015)

Flaustin1 said:


> Whats the process for actually making the cord?



I take the bark strips and cord them like this.....


Except that I can't leg roll the bark strips so I have to hand cord them (also shown above at the first part of the video) which is more time consuming.


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## chehawknapper (Nov 13, 2015)

Pawpaw makes strong cordage and the wood works well for bow drill. Robert what species do you have that far south? Dwarf and/or narrow leaf?


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## RBM (Nov 14, 2015)

chehawknapper said:


> Pawpaw makes strong cordage and the wood works well for bow drill. Robert what species do you have that far south? Dwarf and/or narrow leaf?



Hi Ben. I was just talking to Deane Jordan at Eat The Weeds about that. He says they are really hard to differentiate. As I said in the video description, I don't know the variety. We have a few varieties. The one in the video grows as a tall tree with sparse foliage growing in Sand Pine scrub on a sand hill. The critters eat the fruit and deposit the seeds in droppings around and along the game trails. There is another one we have that grows near to surface water ditches and ponds that is a low bush with lots of foliage probably dwarf. I am thinking two different species.

You have seen the tree in the video. Here is the bush.








My best guess is the bush we have is either A. obovata or Bigflower or A. reticulata  or Netted. The tree probably A. parviflora or Smallflower.


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## RBM (Nov 16, 2015)

I was told by a fellow on Eat The Weeds forum that I know who is very good at identifying "exact" species that the bush is Bigflower (Asimina obovata).

He based it on this...



> Based on Weakley's flora, I would say the bush in the photos is Asimina obovata.  The key says "Flowers borne on growth of the current year" and "Flowers terminal on short lateral branchlets" for A. obovata.


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## RBM (Nov 16, 2015)

I have a better video explaining the cording process than the one above.


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## Flaustin1 (Nov 16, 2015)

Thanks RBM.


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