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| ## pawpaw {#pawpaw .Title-Header}                                     |
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| *Asimina triloba* (L.) Dunal                                          |
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| Plant Symbol = ASTR                                                   |
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####### *Contributed By: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center*

**Alternate names**![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.6993055555555556in"
height="1.8027777777777778in"}

False banana, pawpaw apple, custard apple, custard banana, poor man's
banana, banana tree, Indiana banana, Nebraska banana, Hoosier banana,
Michigan banana, white plum.

### Uses

*Ethnobotanic*: Some Native American tribes cultivated the pawpaw for
fruit and are responsible for its widespread range today. The Cherokee
and many other tribes used the pawpaw fruit for food. The fruit, which
is the largest edible fruit native to America, is high in amino acids.
The Iroquois used the mashed fruit to make small cakes that were dried
and stored. The dried cakes were soaked in water and cooked to make a
sauce or relish that was served with corn bread. Raw and cooked fruits
were dried by the sun or on a fire. These were stored for use in the
future or taken on hunts. The Cherokee used the inner bark to make
cordage. By twisting the bark, they made string and strong ropes.

*Other*: The twigs and leaves contain extracts that have insecticidal
properties. The leaves contain anti-carcinogens.

*Wildlife*: Opossum, raccoon, foxes and squirrels eat the fruits. Larvae
of the lovely Zebra Swallowtail butterfly (*Eurytides marcellus*) feed
exclusively on the leaves.

### Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

### Description

*General:* Custard-apple or Annona family (Annonaceae). This perennial
tree or shrub grows from 3 to 12 m tall. The drooping, pear-shaped
leaves are alternate, from 10 to 30 cm long, with smooth margins and
pointed tips. The leaves are coated with fine whitish hairs on the upper
surface with rusty-colored hairs on the under-side. Leaves are aromatic,
with a smell reminiscent of bell pepper. Inconspicuous but interesting
flowers (4 to 5cm in diameter) with 3 sepals, are green upon opening and
turn to dark purple or maroon in color. From 1 to 4 flowers grow in the
leaf axils before leafing, usually in April or May. The six velvety
petals (2cm-2.5cm long) are stiff and curl slightly backwards. Yellowish
green to brown, cylindrical, mango-shaped fruits are 7-16 cm long and
grow solitarily or 2 to 4 together. The large fruits (5 to 16 ounces)
ripen between August and October. Fruits have a thin skin, which contain
a yellow custard-like pulp that is said to taste like papaya. Some
varieties contain a whitish-green pulp that is less flavorful. Fruits
contain several flat 2cm long seeds. The deciduous leaves turn bright
yellow before dropping in the fall.

*Similar species:* *A. parivflora*, is called the "dwarf pawpaw" or
"possum-simmon." *A. tetramera,* commonly known as 'opossum pawpaw', is
a rare and endangered species from southern Florida. Other similar
species include *A. incarna, A. longifolia, A. obovata, A. pygmaea, A.
reticulata, A. X nashii.*

*Distribution*: This plant grows over much of Eastern North America from
Ontario and Michigan south to Florida and Texas. For current
distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on
the PLANTS Web site.

### Adaptation 

Pawpaws grow in humid climates and are highly frost tolerant. They grow
in the shade in open woods usually in wet, fertile bottomlands, but can
grow in upland areas on rich soils. Pawpaws occur as understory trees in
oak-hickory forest in the mid-south where they are found in clusters or
thickets. They do not do well in coastal environments. The plants
purportedly may do well in the Pacific Northwest and parts of
California. Growth trials are being conducted at Oregon State
University.

### Establishment

The appearance of this tree gives a tropical flavor to temperate gardens
and provides edible landscaping. Pawpaws can serve as a screen or can be
grown in a container as a specimen tree. Both trees and shrubs have a
conical pyramid-like shape when grown in sun, and a more open structure
if grown in shade. They can be planted in the shade of tall, open trees
or in partial shade, although they fruit best in sun. If planting in
open sun, provide a shading structure to allow filtered sun for the
first few years. The plants prefer moist, slightly acidic soils and
require regular watering, but are adaptable to many conditions. They do
not perform well in poorly drained soils and need protection from the
wind. At least two plants are needed for cross-pollination.

*Seeds*: Seeds can be sown in the fall to over-winter or can be
stratified by exposing to cold temperature (32-40 degrees) for 90 to 120
days. Seed should never be allowed to dry out. If sowing seeds into
containers use deep pots or tubes to allow for healthy roots.

## *Transplanting seedlings*: Transplant seedlings in the spring. Larger plants do not transplant well. The roots are widely spreading, so purchase plants that have been grown in deep pots or tubes to insure healthy plants. The roots are brittle, so use care when transferring from containers. Water the transplants frequently during the growing season.

*Vegetative propagation*: Pawpaws can be propagated by whip-and--tongue,
bark inlay, cleft graft, or chip budding techniques.

### Management

This plant spreads quickly by suckers to form a "pawpaw patch." Remove
suckers as they form if a tree form is desired. Sucker formation slows
as the tree develops. Other than control of suckers, the plants do not
require pruning. The plants are disease and pest resistant and they are
not browsed by deer.

### Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

'Davis' is commercially cultivated for fruit; 'Sunflower,' 'Mary Foos
Johnson,' 'Taylor,' Overleese,' 'Sweet Alice,' are popular cultivars.
*A. parviflora* is a dwarf variety of pawpaw. These plant materials are
somewhat available from commercial sources.

### References

Bailey, L.H. & E.Z. Bailey 1976. *Hortus Third: A concise dictionary of
plants cultivated in the United States and Canada*. Simon and Schuster
Macmillan Co., New York, NY. 1290 pp.

Banks, W.H. 1953. *Ethnobotany of the Cherokee Indians*. Master of
Science Thesis, University of Tennessee, Tennessee. 216 pp.

California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. 1999. *PawPaw Fruit Facts*.
\<[http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pawpaw.](http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pawpaw.%0Dhtml)

[html](http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pawpaw.%0Dhtml).\>(April 29, 2001).

Flint, H.L. 1997. *Landscape plants for Eastern North America*. Second
Edition. John Wiley and Sons, New York, New York. 842 pp.

Greene, W.F. & H.L. Blomquist 1953. *Flowers of the South: Native and
Exotic*. University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, North
Carolina. 208 pp.

Hamel, P.B. & M.U. Chiltoskey 1975. *Cherokee plants and their uses: A
400-year history*. Herald Publishing Company, Sylva, North Carolina. 65
pp.

Hann, J.H. 1986. *The use and processing of plants by Indians of Spanish
Florida*. Southeastern Archaeology 5(2):91-102.

Hummer, K. 1996. *NCGR-Corvallis: Pawpaws in Oregon*.
\<[http://www.ars-grin.gov/ars/PacWest/
Corvallis/ncgr/cool/pawpaws.html](http://www.ars-grin.gov/ars/PacWest/ Corvallis/ncgr/cool/pawpaws.html)\>
(April 29, 2001).

Martin, A.C., H.S. Zim & A.L. Nelson 1951. *American wildlife and
plants: A guide to wildlife food habits*. Dover Publications, New York.
500 pp.

Moerman, D.E. 1998. *Native American ethnobotany*. Timber Press,
Portland, Oregon. 927 pp.

Ottesen, C. 1995. *The native plant primer*. Harmony Books, New York,
New York. 354 pp.

Podems, M. & B. Bortz 1975. *Ornamentals for eating*. Rodale Press,
Emmaus, Pennsylvania. 67 pp.

Pomper, K., S.C. Jones, R.N. Peterson, T.Turner, & D.R. Layne 1990. *Paw
Paw Planting Guide*. Kentucky Sate University Cooperative Extension
Program. \<[http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/
pawpaw/ppg.html](http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/ pawpaw/ppg.html)\>. (April
29, 2001).

Small, J.K. 1933. *Manual of southeastern flora*. University of North
Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 1554 pp.

Smith, A.I. 1979. *A guide to wildflowers of the Mid-south*. Memphis
State University Press, Memphis, Tennessee. 281 pp.

Swanson, R.E. 1994. *A field guide to the trees and shrubs of the
Southern Appalachians*. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore,
Maryland. 399 pp.

Whitthoft, J. 1947. *An early Cherokee ethnobotanical note*
(Communicated by W.N. Fenton). Journal of the Washington Academy of
Sciences:37(3): 73-75.

### Prepared By

*Diana L. Immel*

Formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, c/o Environmental
Horticulture Department, University of California, Davis, California

### Species Coordinator

## M. Kat Anderson

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, c/o Plant Science Department,
University of California, Davis, California

Edited: 21May2001 jsp; 29apr03 ahv; 31may06jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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