Asimina triloba, Pawpaw Seed
Asimina triloba Pawpaw Seed
- Creamy custard-like fruit with a tropical banana and mango flavor ripens in late summer
- North America's largest native fruit on a tidy understory tree
- Only host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly, plus maroon spring flowers
- Plant two or more trees for best fruit set and golden fall leaves
Key Attributes
About Asimina triloba, Pawpaw Seed
Creamy, custard-like fruit with a flavor often compared to banana and mango ripens in late summer on this small understory tree. Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is North America's largest native fruit, with big, tropical-looking leaves and a tidy, pyramidal habit. Its maroon spring flowers and golden fall foliage add ornamental value, and it is the only host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly. Plant two or more for best fruit set.
Growing details
Plant profile
Seed & variety
Before Planting
Planting
Watering
Fertilizer
Harvesting
Tips
Pests & Diseases
Pawpaw is largely disease free. Occasional leaf spot or fruit spot appears in wet seasons; good air flow helps. Root rot can occur in waterlogged pots.
Remarkably pest resistant, and deer tend to avoid it. Zebra swallowtail caterpillars feed on leaves but cause little harm. Squirrels and raccoons will compete for ripe fruit.
Native States & Regions
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Native regions: Plains, South Central, Midwest, Great Lakes, Appalachia, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast
Its Role in the Native Ecosystem
Pawpaw is the sole larval host plant of the zebra swallowtail butterfly, and its leaves also feed the pawpaw sphinx moth. Its maroon flowers are pollinated by flies and beetles. Ripe fruit is eaten by raccoons, opossums, foxes and other mammals, which help spread the seed.
Asimina triloba Pawpaw Native Range Map
Native range describes natural occurrence, not the origin of this seed lot or every location where a plant can be grown.
Alaska and Hawaii are shown as insets. State-level range does not mean a plant occurs throughout every part of that state.
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