Pawpaw
Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal
Mature Size: Up to 40 feet in height and 1 foot in diameter.
Form: Small tree or shrub, often forming thickets.
Habitat: Understory of hardwood forests, especially in moist floodplains.
Leaves
Alternate, simple, 5 to 11 inches long, somewhat pear-shaped; when crushed, gives an unpleasant smell like fresh asphalt.
Flowers
Purplish-brown, broadly bell shaped, 1 to 1½ inch across, with 6 petals, appearing with or slightly before the leaves.
Fruit
Fleshy, edible, 2½ to 4 inches long, resembling a short, fat banana; at first green, turning yellowish then brown as they ripen in the fall.
Bark
Smooth, brown, splotched with wart-like pores, often with light gray patches.
Twigs
Moderately thick, red-brown; buds purplish brown, fuzzy, flattened and often curved, end bud ¼ to ½ inch long.
Values and Uses
Pawpaw fruits are eaten by raccoons, opossums, squirrels and birds.
Did You Know?
Pawpaw leaves are the only food source for caterpillars of the beautiful zebra swallowtail butterfly.
Last modified: Monday, 10-Mar-2008 20:22:32 UTC