Pawpaw
Asimina triloba
The largest edible fruit native to North America, with custardy flesh somewhere between banana and mango, ripening in early fall. Maroon bell flowers open before the leaves and are pollinated by carrion flies rather than bees, so fruit set improves with a second, unrelated tree nearby. The only host for zebra swallowtail caterpillars. Eat the flesh alone: the seeds contain a toxic alkaloid, and handling the leaves causes dermatitis in some people.
- Family
- Annonaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 15–30 ft
- Spacing
- 15–30 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- April, May
- Bloom colors
- white, red, yellow, purple
- Wildlife value
- songbirds, butterflies, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~12 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- naturalizing, rain garden
- Native states
- AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV