Pawpaw

The Pawpaw, a Missouri native, features dark purple flowers in the spring, elongated edible fruit in the summer, and a yellow to yellow-green fall color which all add to the appeal of this small understory tree. With the exception of the Gourd, the fruit of the Pawpaw is the largest edible fruit indigenous to the United States. It has a sweet, custard-like flavor somewhat similar to that of banana, mango, and pineapple, and is commonly eaten raw. They are also used to make Pawpaw-flavored ice creams and baked desserts, of which George Washington was reportedly a devoted admirer. The lack of adapted herbivores to the fruit of the Pawpaw suggests to some scientists that the species may have evolved with a macrofaunal species that is now extinct but at one point digested the fruit and spread its seeds across the tree’s range.

Common Name	Pawpaw
Latin Name	Asimina triloba
Indigenous Name(s)
Cultivar/Variety
Commercial Name

More about Tree #50:

Where to find Arbor Walk #50

Data on the space around this tree

Data on this tree over time

More about the Pawpaw in general:

How to identify Pawpaw

Relationship of Asimina triloba to other species in the Arboretum

Global Distribution of Pawpaw

Additional Resources on the Pawpaw