Pawpaw tree care (Asimina triloba)

*Asimina triloba* -- the pawpaw -- is the largest native tree fruit of North America, native to the eastern United States from Florida to southern Ontario. Its custard-like fruit has a flavor often described as a blend of banana, mango, and vanilla. It has no significant pest or disease problems.

Asimina triloba — the pawpaw — is the largest native tree fruit of North America, native to the eastern United States from Florida to southern Ontario. Its custard-like fruit has a flavor often described as a blend of banana, mango, and vanilla. It has no significant pest or disease problems compared to any other tree fruit in this guide. It does not appear in grocery stores because the fruit is highly perishable — 2-3 days at room temperature, 2-3 weeks refrigerated — making commercial distribution nearly impossible.

I don't grow pawpaws at my Long Island zone 7a plot, but they are well within their native range here. This guide is sourced from Kentucky State University (the primary pawpaw research institution in North America) and Cornell Extension.

Identification and native range

Per Kentucky State University Pawpaw Program, A. triloba is native to 26 states, from Nebraska and Kansas east to the Atlantic coast, and from Florida to Michigan and southern Ontario. It typically grows as an understory tree in rich, moist bottomlands, reaching 15-30 feet at maturity. It forms clonal colonies through root suckers.

Leaves are large (8-12 inches long), oblong, and droop distinctively in summer heat. Flowers are maroon-purple, produced in early spring before leaves emerge, and are pollinated by flies and beetles rather than bees.