Asimina triloba / Pawpaw

Pawpaw is a lush-foliaged large shrub to small tree with edible fruits. The fruits are rich and custardy, with notes of banana and pineapple. Pawpaw is the only member of the typically tropical custard apple family to have successfully evolved to live this far north; here in New Jersey we’re near the northeast terminus of its range.

In shade, behaves like a tall shrub and like a small tree in full sun. Can be pruned to either a single- or multi-trunk form. Deer resistant.

Host plant for the spectacular zebra swallowtail butterfly and the pawpaw sphinx moth.

Two plants are needed for cross-pollination and fruiting. Our pawpaws are grown from open-pollinated seed, so each individual plant has unique DNA, which allows cross-pollination between unique individuals. To further clarify, named cultivars/varieties of pawpaw are often grafted, and therefore are not genetically unique individuals. This means they can’t cross-pollinate each other. That’s not an issue with our pawpaws!

Read more on our blog.

Height: 8′ – 24′      Blooms: April – May

Siting: Average to moist soil, sun to shade

Deer Resistance: High

Provenance: PA