Pawpaws America's Largest Native Fruit
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Feature Article Pawpaws America's Largest Native Fruit by Sharon Richardson o you remember growing up The tree has a tropical appearance with Dsinging this old American folk song large leaves that are approximately about pawpaw patches? 10–12" long and 4–5" wide. The large leaves are clustered symmetrically at Pickin’ up pawpaws, the ends of branches and provide a puttin’ ’ em in your pocket... distinctive imbricated appearance to the Way down yonder tree’s foliage. in the pawpaw patch. Pawpaw trees are one of the last I grew up singing about them, but I had East Coast trees to leaf out; their leaf no idea what they were until I took buds stay tightly wrapped until late an Edible Plants class at Longwood spring, perhaps to protect the tropical Gardens. It was there that I first learned fruit flowers from late winter frosts. that Asimina triloba trees produce the Fall foliage is a bright yellow and the largest fruit native to North America. color makes it easy for travelers to spot Pawpaw trees grow in 26 states, from a pawpaw patch from a distance. southern Louisiana to Michigan, from The pawpaw trees produce a small the Atlantic shoreline to Nebraska and maroon flower that hangs upside Oklahoma. Although pawpaw trees are down and appears in early spring at Sharon Richardson native, they are rarely in our residential the same time, or slightly before, new landscapes and were not commonly leaves appear. The flowers produce a photo © known in the 20th century. They are just faint fetid or yeasty smell that attracts beginning to become popular again. wasps, flies, and other insects. I was fascinated to learn that The fruit appears in the fall; it Native American tribes planted starts out green, but as it ripens it pawpaw trees along their route from becomes yellow, and then brown to their inland villages to the Atlantic black. The fruit is typically 2–6" long seaboard so that when they returned and 1–2" wide. It is the size of an from their summer fishing expeditions, avocado and the shape of a kidney. The their route would be demarcated by the fruit has a fleshy, custardy texture and trees, and they would be ensured of contains many lima bean-sized brown having delicious fruit all the way home seeds. Wild pawpaws tend to vary in Plant Description weight, but weigh less than cultivated Asimina triloba is a small understory fruit. Pawpaw growers aim to produce fruit that weighs a pound or more. tree, typically about 25–35' tall. They can grow in many conditions, but are The fruit starts out being rock hard; most often found in flood plains, deep as it ripens it gets softer and begins to fertile river banks, shady rich bottom turn color. When ripe, the skin becomes Sharon Richardson lands, and woodland understory. They thin, fragile, and easily bruised. The spread by root suckers and are often riper the fruit, the sweeter the taste. photo © Pawpaw fruit found near Media, PA. seen in clumps or patches. Some people prefer to eat pawpaws Asimina triloba belongs to a large when they are somewhat firm and have So why don’t we see these fruit family of tropical custard apple trees a mild taste, while others wait until in our grocery stores? They rarely called the Annonaceae family. It is the the fruit is very soft and sticky with a make it to market. Pawpaws have only member of this family that can caramel sweetness. Pawpaw fruit may a very short shelf life; they don’t survive cold winters. In fact, this plant be used in any recipe that calls for travel well because they bruise easily. requires winter temperatures and a bananas or pumpkin pulp. They are very perishable and have an period of dormancy. Vol. 31, No. 6 Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group 3 named the fruit pawpaw because the fruit resembled the fruits of papaya. Native Americans were not the only people in Colonial America enjoying pawpaw fruit. Thomas Jefferson planted the trees at Monticello. Benjamin Franklin was so enamored with them that he asked for seeds to be sent to him when he was Charles Leasure living in France. Members of the Lewis photo © and Clark Expedition wrote about Pawpaw flowers subsisting on pawpaws for several days information in her second article and in September of 1806. ‘Margaret,’ one of her readers, invited Native American tribes also found me to visit her residential pawpaw other uses for pawpaw trees. The tough patch in Chester Springs. Margaret, fibrous inner bark was used to make has a large pawpaw patch that has cordage and rope, fishing nets, and spread throughout the understory of mats. Pawpaw logs were used to build her wooded front yard over the past 50 split rail fences. Inner bark was used years. for fiber to mend clothes and weave When I visited, she had just baskets. Crushed seeds were used to acquired a newly published book by treat head lice. Andrew Moore entitled Pawpaw: In Studies are now being conducted Search of America’s Fruit. She was Nora Sadler to learn about the medicinal use of hoping to learn why her pawpaw patch pawpaws because they belong to a had never produced any fruit. Moore’s photo © plant family that produces acetogenins. book is full of fascinating scientific and Gwynne Ormsby bites into a succulent Annonaceous acetogenins are pawpaw fruit. anecdotal information. compounds that some people believe Now that I have read Moore’s active metabolism and high rate of to be strong cancer-fighting tools. respiration. book, I have a pretty good idea why Nature’s Sunshine® has used the plant my new friend’s pawpaw patch hasn’t Despite their fragility, I have found to create a shampoo to treat headlice, as some articles suggesting that under fruited. Because of its tendency to well as a Para-Cleanse® with Pawpaw sucker, a pawpaw’s energy may go into cultivation, pawpaws may become the for intestinal parasites. next super-fruit. Pawpaws have 20–70 sprouts and runners to form colonies. A times as much iron, 10 times as much Growing Pawpaws pawpaw needs to cross pollinate with calcium, and 4–20 times as much I was so intrigued with this plant that a tree that is genetically different. The magnesium as bananas, apples, and I decided to start growing pawpaw more a pawpaw suckers, the less likely oranges. Research from Ohio State has trees at home. I wanted to be ready to it is to find a partner. found that pawpaws have antioxidant feed (yet unborn) grandchildren this To complicate things further, levels that rival cranberries and delicious, native fruit. Since pawpaw pawpaw trees are pollinated by carrion cherries. One pawpaw is approximately trees do not start bearing fruit until they flies and beetles; these insects are less 80 calories and is a rich source of are seven or eight years old, I needed to efficient and less reliable pollinators Vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and get a head start. than bees. Furthermore, as understory manganese. Pawpaws also have a Last fall, Pam Baxter wrote two trees, pawpaw trees receive less light moderate amount of Vitamin A. articles about pawpaw trees in her So, what does a pawpaw taste like? gardening column in the West Chester Common Names Many people describe the taste as a Daily Local. Her first article mentioned for Asimina triloba cross between a banana and a mango. her conundrum about where to plant banango Kentucky banana However, I’ve learned that the ‘wow’ one that had been gifted to her. Her custard apple Michigan banana factor is in the custardy texture of the care tag said they prefer shade in their fruit. In fact, chilled pawpaw fruit was early stages, but they do best in full sun custard banana Missouri banana George Washington’s favorite dessert. to part shade later. Too much sun and false banana Ozark banana they burn up, too little sun and they fetid bush pawpaw apple Historic References and Uses can’t flower. Speaking of historical references, the frost banana poor man’s banana I wrote to Pam concurring with Hoosier banana prairie banana earliest written report about pawpaws her assessment because I had already was made in 1541 by a member of killed two by planting them in too Indiana banana West Virginia banana Hernando de Soto’s expedition in much sun. I also shared that I had never Kansas banana southeastern United States. They seen a pawpaw patch. She reported that wild banana 4 Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group November 2017 Jim Bobb photo © Pawpaw seeds so the conditions are not optimal for setting fruit. Eva Monheim of Temple University explained, “Despite their shady habitat, pawpaws can be planted in full sun and moist, well-drained soils where they are more likely to produce fruit each year.” Why Should We Add Pawpaws to our Landscape? With their unusually large tropical leaves, pawpaws can make an interesting addition to your landscape. They have brilliant yellow-gold fall foliage color, and they produce a delicious fruit that is difficult to purchase. Pawpaw trees are also the only larval host plant for black swallowtail butterflies. My own trees are doing well. I planted two last year in my small wooded area, where large trees behind them provide shade, while shorter hydrangeas and Amsonia hubrictii in front allow them to get sun. They have grown to be about 3½' and appear to be thriving. This summer a friend gave me two potted seedlings; I plan to strategically place the new varieties close to my older ones.