Asimina triloba – Pawpaw, Custard-apple

General Information: A temperate zone representative of a primarily tropical family, the Pawpaw is distinctly tropical in appearance and flavor. A small tree that produces quite large fruits. The drooping leaves can reach up to 1 foot long. Pawpaws send up root suckers and tend to form a small grove over time. The suckers can be removed if a standalone tree is desired. The deep purple flowers, 1-2″ across, appear in spring before the leaves develop and are pollinated by flies. The fruits, which ripen in fall and are up to 6″ long, look somewhat like elongated Potatoes. Pawpaw fruit was an important food of Indigenous Peoples and early settlers. The fruit is again now beginning to attract the attention it deserves. Good-flavored Pawpaw fruit has a rich flavor and is similar to a cross between Mango, Pineapple, and Banana, with an egg custard consistency. Sometimes known as “The Banana of the Woods,” Pawpaw is the largest native fruit in North America. While the fruit flesh is delicious and nutritious, the foliage, twigs, and seeds are unpalatable and malodorous. The dried and crushed seeds and leaves were used by Indigenous Peoples as an insecticide for lice. It is said that Cows, Goats, Rabbits, and presumably even Deer will scarcely touch the plants. Occasionally, the fruits are eaten by Raccoons and Opossums. One of the few animals that use the Pawpaw tree as a food source is the larva of the beautiful Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly.

Edible Qualities: Fruits must be consumed fresh. Try them out of hand, blended in a smoothie, or as a dessert topping! Please be advised – Cooking Pawpaws releases irritating compounds that cause stomach trouble. Pawpaw fruits should be picked when fully ripened. The best indicator is by feel, they should feel soft, like a ripe Peach or Avocado, and also have a sweet smell. The fruits will give when gently squeezed and come off the tree easily when gently tugged or if the trunk is shaken. It is recommended that they be consumed immediately. They may be refrigerated, however they have a short shelf life, lasting less than one week. Fruits past peak will turn brown or yellow and are inedible. Underripe or overripe fruits may cause stomach pains.

Cultivation Details: They prefer moist, rich soil, with a near-neutral pH, but are quite adaptable given adequate moisture and shade. Fruits most prolifically in full sun. Pawpaws can bear some fruit even when growing in the forest understory, they are unusually tolerant of shade for a fruit tree. Saplings are prone to leaf scorch in full sun, yet mature trees seem to thrive in sunny conditions. We often recommend growers plant these trees in spaces where they can grow up through a loose overstory of herbaceous perennials or shrubs so that they receive the shade they require while they are young, and the sunlight which encourages greatest fruiting when they mature. The trees begin blossoming in late spring when they are about 6 feet tall. Notably free of pests and diseases.

Growing Requirements: It is often recommended to select a site that receives dappled sun or light shade while the plants are small, and enables them to break through to full sun once they surpass 6 feet. However, we have many plantings in sun and shade, so this is not a requirement but more of a way to mimic how they mature in their native habitat.

Fun Facts: Dr. William Desmond, writing about the development of Pawpaw as a cultivated crop in the Fall ’96 issue of Pomona, the magazine of the North American Fruit Explorers (NAFEX, Rt. 1, Box 94, Chapin, IL 62628), mentions some interesting facts about this plant: “The fruits were reported to once have saved Lewis and Clark from starvation in 1806. Daniel Boone and Mark Twain were reported to have been Pawpaw fans.” Desmond also mentions that in work done over the past 16 years at Purdue University, pharmacognosist Dr. Jerry McLaughlin has identified about 30 biologically active compounds from Pawpaw plants. One of these, asimicin, has been reported to be “a million times more effective than adriamycin (a standard chemotherapy drug) in treating human cancers in cell culture. One molecule of asimicin is enough to kill a cancer cell.”