pawpaw
Family
AnnonaceaeScientific Name
Asimina trilobaOther Common Names:
false banana
Hoosier banana
Indiana banana
Michigan banana
Nebraska banana
banana tree
custard apple
custard banana
pawpaw apple
poor man s banana
white plum.
Habit
shrub/tree
Leaves
The drooping, pear-shaped leaves are alternate, from 10 to 30 cm long, with smooth margins and pointed tips. The leaves are coated with fine whitish hairs on the upper surface with rusty-colored hairs on the under-side. Leaves are aromatic, with a smell reminiscent of bell pepper.
Identifying Characteristics
Custard-apple or Annona family (Annonaceae). This perennial tree or shrub grows from 3 to 12 m tall.The deciduous leaves turn bright yellow before dropping in the fall.Pawpaws grow in humid climates and are highly frost tolerant. They grow in the shade in open woods usually in wet, fertile bottomlands, but can grow in upland areas on rich soils.
Flower Seed Head
Inconspicuous but interesting flowers (4 to 5cm in diameter) with 3 sepals, are green upon opening and turn to dark purple or maroon in color. From 1 to 4 flowers grow in the leaf axils before leafing, usually in April or May. The six velvety petals (2cm-2.5cm long) are stiff and curl slightly backwards.
Seed Fruit
Yellowish green to brown, cylindrical, mango-shaped fruits are 7-16 cm long and grow solitarily or 2 to 4 together. The large fruits (5 to 16 ounces) ripen between August and October. Fruits have a thin skin, which contain a yellow custard-like pulp that is said to taste like papaya. Some varieties contain a whitish-green pulp that is less flavorful. Fruits contain several flat 2cm long seeds.
Where Found
This plant grows over much of Eastern North America from Ontario and Michigan south to Florida and Texas.
Growth Habit
woody bush or tree
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
half dollar
Dominant Flower Color
purple
Flower Symmetry
radial symmetery
Leaf Hairs
no hairs
Leaf Shape
oval
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Structure
simple
Leaf Stalk
shorter than leaf
Stem Hairs
has hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
not present
Root Structure
taproot
Life Cycle
perennial
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Tree