Asimina triloba

Asimina triloba, the American papaw, pawpaw, paw paw, or paw-paw, and many other regional names, is a small deciduous tree. It is native to the eastern United States and Canada. The tree grows a large, yellowish-green to brown fruit. Asimina is the only temperate genus in the tropical and subtropical flowering plant family Annonaceae. Asimina triloba has the most northern range of these. Well-known tropical fruits in family Annonaceae include the custard-apple, cherimoya, sweetsop, ylang-ylang, and soursop.

The pawpaw is a patch-forming (clonal) underbrush tree of hardwood forests. It is found in fertile bottomland and hilly upland habitats. The tree has large, simple leaves. They are more characteristic of plants in tropical rainforests than within the temperate range of this species. Pawpaw fruits are the largest edible fruit indigenous to the United States 

Pawpaw fruits are sweet. They have a custard-like texture. The flavor of the fruit is similar to banana, mango, and pineapple. They are commonly eaten raw. They are also used to make ice cream and baked desserts. The bark, leaves, and seeds contain the insecticidal neurotoxin annonacin.

References

Category:Trees
Category:Annonaceae