Asimina triloba

Pawpaw

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Family: Annonaceae (Custard-apple family)

Mid-Atlantic bloom time: March - May

Mid-Atlantic fruit ripe: August - October

Pawpaws prefer moist woodlands, often bottomlands. They typically form clonal colonies of genetically identical individual trees, propogating through their root systems. Although the flowers are perfect (bisexual), fruit will typically not set unless fertilized by individuals from another clonal group. The flowers produce an odor similar to that of rotting meat to attract blowflies, carrion flies or carrion beetles for cross pollination. The species name triloba refers to their 3-part flowers. Pawpaw is the primary larval host plant for zebra swallowtail butterflies (Eurytides marcellus).

When crushed, its twigs and leaves have a smell reminiscent of diesel fuel or hot asphalt. The fruit is very sweet, tasting somewhat like a cross between banana and mango; it ripens in late summer. Though edible, the fruit can cause skin irritation and gastrointestinal upset in some individuals. According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower webpage,

"First Nations People and European settlers have long used the fruit as food. First Nations People used the fruit fresh and made it into cakes and sauces, or dried and used it as winter food. Some people reportedly develop contact dermatitis after frequent exposure to the fruits.... The fruits generally fall to the ground before they are ripe and therefore must be ripened at home."

25 June 2014 Scott's Run Nature Preserve, McLean, VA	15 April 2015 Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA (showing flower and end buds)	22 March 2020 Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA (showing flower buds)	6 May 2006 Great Falls Park, Potomac, MD (inverted flower)
6 May 2006 Great Falls Park, Potomac, MD (inverted flower)	29 April 2013 Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA	3 May 2013 Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA	3 May 2013 Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA
12 April 2017 Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA	21 May 2019 Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA (developing fruits)	2 July 2005 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park, Senaca, MD	2 July 2005 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park, Senaca, MD
5 July 2015 National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC	4 September 2005 from Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park, Potomac, MD (ripe fruits and seeds)

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