Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

Pawpaw – Native Understory Tree with Tropical Fruit

Asimina triloba, the Pawpaw, is a small, deciduous understory tree native to eastern North America. It produces the largest edible fruit native to the U.S., with a custard-like texture and banana-mango flavor. The large, drooping, tropical-looking leaves turn yellow in fall. Maroon, bell-shaped flowers appear in spring before leaves. It prefers moist, fertile, well-drained soil and partial shade. It is the host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly. The fruit is highly perishable and rarely commercialized.

Taxonomic Details