Paw Paw
Asimina triloba
Paw Paw is a deciduous understory tree that grows in deep shade to full sun in moist nutrient rich soil. The paw paw fruit ripens in late summer and peaks in September and October. The flavor is compared to bananas with hints of mango, vanilla and citrus. It looks like a small green potato and occurs in clusters. Why have you never tasted one? It has a limited shelf life and so is not grown commercially. In early spring, it has 6 petaled purplish-brown flowers which mature before the leaves appear. The leaves are large and turn yellow in the fall. To produce flowers, they must receive pollen from another Paw Paw tree of another variety.
Height: 15-30’
Spread: 15-30’
Pot size: 3 gal
Bloom time: Spring
Light: Full sun-deep shade
Moisture: Medium. Good drainage, occasionally wet
Attracts: Butterflies and pollinators, and small mammals and birds. It’s an important food source for Zebra swallowtails.
Deer resistance: Deer stay away from the leaves and branches but will eat the fruit
when it falls.
Companion Plants: Swamp Milkweed, Bee Balm, Mayapple, Solomon’s Seal and sedges
Photo Credit: Liliumoryza-cc wikimedia
Asimina triloba
Paw Paw is a deciduous understory tree that grows in deep shade to full sun in moist nutrient rich soil. The paw paw fruit ripens in late summer and peaks in September and October. The flavor is compared to bananas with hints of mango, vanilla and citrus. It looks like a small green potato and occurs in clusters. Why have you never tasted one? It has a limited shelf life and so is not grown commercially. In early spring, it has 6 petaled purplish-brown flowers which mature before the leaves appear. The leaves are large and turn yellow in the fall. To produce flowers, they must receive pollen from another Paw Paw tree of another variety.
Height: 15-30’
Spread: 15-30’
Pot size: 3 gal
Bloom time: Spring
Light: Full sun-deep shade
Moisture: Medium. Good drainage, occasionally wet
Attracts: Butterflies and pollinators, and small mammals and birds. It’s an important food source for Zebra swallowtails.
Deer resistance: Deer stay away from the leaves and branches but will eat the fruit
when it falls.
Companion Plants: Swamp Milkweed, Bee Balm, Mayapple, Solomon’s Seal and sedges
Photo Credit: Liliumoryza-cc wikimedia
Asimina triloba
Paw Paw is a deciduous understory tree that grows in deep shade to full sun in moist nutrient rich soil. The paw paw fruit ripens in late summer and peaks in September and October. The flavor is compared to bananas with hints of mango, vanilla and citrus. It looks like a small green potato and occurs in clusters. Why have you never tasted one? It has a limited shelf life and so is not grown commercially. In early spring, it has 6 petaled purplish-brown flowers which mature before the leaves appear. The leaves are large and turn yellow in the fall. To produce flowers, they must receive pollen from another Paw Paw tree of another variety.
Height: 15-30’
Spread: 15-30’
Pot size: 3 gal
Bloom time: Spring
Light: Full sun-deep shade
Moisture: Medium. Good drainage, occasionally wet
Attracts: Butterflies and pollinators, and small mammals and birds. It’s an important food source for Zebra swallowtails.
Deer resistance: Deer stay away from the leaves and branches but will eat the fruit
when it falls.
Companion Plants: Swamp Milkweed, Bee Balm, Mayapple, Solomon’s Seal and sedges
Photo Credit: Liliumoryza-cc wikimedia