Pawpaws (Asimina triloba) are a tropical fruit (and largest edible fruit) that is native to North America. Pawpaw fruits primarily grow throughout the eastern regions of the United States and southern regions of Canada on small, understory trees.Nov 8, 2020
The pawpaw grows best in areas with hot summers and cold winters (USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5 to 8). It is hardy and relatively pest-free, and its tolerance to shade makes it suitable for intercropping with certain other trees.
The pawpaw tree, or the Asimina triloba, is a native fruit tree that grows in the Southeast along the Appalachian Range and into regions of eastern Texas and Arkansas. It’s a fruit-bearing tree that is found as far west as Nebraska and as far south as Florida, with roots in the east from New York to North Carolina.
Grafted pawpaw trees purchased from Stark Bro’s start fruiting in about 3-5 years! Begin harvesting pawpaws in mid August through the first frost (generally early- to mid-October). Pawpaws are great to eat fresh off the tree, but they have a lot of uses in recipes as well!
The pawpaw leaves are huge and can be up to 12″ long. They provide a tropical look that is similar to its Annonaceae cousins. The leaves will smell bad if they are torn.
Weight | 2 lbs |
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size | 5.5″ Banded Pot, 1 Gallon, 2 Gallon |
Pawpaws are native to the humid temperate climate of eastern North America. They are hardy to at least -20° F (-28° C). They require a approximately 400 hours of chilling to break dormancy. This requirement varies with provenance: pawpaws of northern origin require more chilling than cultivars of southern origin.
Do I need a male and female tree? No. Pawpaws flowers have both male and female sex organs.
They form dense groves, spreading clonally by underground runners and spend many years growing as an understory species until there is a break in the canopy and they can make their leap into the sunnier conditions provided by an opening in the canopy.
Both have proven toxic to humans. In fact, according to a Purdue University fact sheet on the fruit, the seeds contain vomit-inducing alkaloids in the endosperm. And if the seeds are chewed, a poison is released and they can wreak havoc on your digestive system.
It’s easier than you think, you can tell the two apart by using shape and colour. A papaya has a red or red flesh inside and it is oval like a rugby ball. A pawpaw has yellow flesh, is slightly larger and more round like a soccer ball.
Pawpaws are very nutritious fruits. They are high in vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper, and manganese. They are a good source of potassium and several essential amino acids, and they also contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, and zinc.
The faint—or often non-existent—scent of the pawpaw flower mimics the smell of rotting meat. These plants evolved flowers that attract blowflies or carrion beetles who naturally feed on dead and decaying animals.
The Price of a Pawpaw
Retail prices for fresh pawpaws at farmers markets and upscale grocery stores can range from $3 to $8 a pound—even higher when bought online. Frozen pawpaw pulp can sell for $6 a pound or more.
Pawpaws begin to ripen mid-August thru September. Harvest them when they are soft to the touch. If you give the pawpaw a gentle squeeze the skin will usually lighten from green to yellow or brown. Occasionally they will develop blackish splotches.
The flavor resembles mild bananas and is a useful addition to baked goods, puddings, ice cream, salad, and even in liquors. It was traditionally mashed and made into cakes or dried to preserve it. Make jams, smoothies, quick breads, and pastries. The green pawpaw is an excellent substitute for squash or cherimoya.
If you want to experiment with pawpaws, you can puree the flesh and make pawpaw butter or fruit leather – it can also be added to smoothies, oatmeal, baked goods, cocktails, or slathered on toast with a drizzle of honey.
While many people enjoy the taste of pawpaw, some individuals become sick after eating the fruit. Skin rash, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea can develop. In other cases, individuals may be allergic to the leaves or the fruit skin (Peterson, 1991).
Asimina triloba | |
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Family: | Annonaceae |
Genus: | Asimina |
Species: | A. triloba |
Binomial name |
It’s about the size of a fist, with mottled green skin. It looks and feels a bit like a small green mango, and, like a mango, it needs to ripen almost to the point of disintegration before it is ready to eat. The pawpaw is related to several tropical fruits, like the cherimoya, soursop, and custard apple.
How to Make a Pawpaw Tree Fruit. One strategy for getting your pawpaw trees to set fruit is to become the pollinator. You can hand pollinate these trees by using a small paint brush. You will use the brush to transfer pollen from the male flower parts to the female.
pawpaw: Asimina triloba (Magnoliales: Annonaceae): Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.
Pawpaw flowers are perfect, in that they have both male and female reproduction parts, but they are not self-pollinating. … In addition pawpaws are self-incompatible, requiring cross pollination from another unrelated pawpaw tree.
Pawpaws prefer full sun and are self-incompatible, which means their flowers are not self-pollinating. Fruit sets only when there is more than one tree nearby. Pick an area with at least six hours of sunlight with ample space for both trees to grow.
Pawpaw blossoms are purplish-red and have a fetid odor to attract their primary pollinators, various species of flies and beetles. Bees rarely, if ever, visit pawpaw flowers. If natural pollination is inadequate, you may wish to attract flies to your pawpaw trees.
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