Common Paw Paw
Asimina triloba

Height: 20 feet
Spread: 15 feet
Sunlight: Full sun / Partial shade
Hardiness Zone: 4b
Other Names: Pawpaw Apple, False-Banana, Poor Man's Banana

Description:
A small spreading native tree producing large, delicious edible fruit with a sweet flavor reminiscent of banana and pear and a soft, custard-like texture. The fruit is rich in vitamins and highly prized for fresh eating and culinary uses. While the unusual spring flowers can have a somewhat unpleasant odor, the tree is an important host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly and offers strong ornamental and ecological value.

Edible Qualities:
Common Paw Paw produces large green oblong fruit with creamy white flesh that is typically ready for harvest from mid to late summer. The fruit has a sweet, rich flavor and soft texture and is commonly used for fresh eating, cooking, preserves, and wine-making. Fallen fruit can be messy and may require occasional cleanup.

Ornamental Features:
Common Paw Paw features unusual nodding purple flowers in mid to late spring. It has dark green deciduous foliage with large oval leaves that turn an outstanding lemon yellow in fall. The developing green fruit adds visual interest from mid to late summer.

Landscape Attributes:
Common Paw Paw is a multi-stemmed deciduous tree with a refined pyramidal form. Its relatively coarse texture helps it stand apart from plants with finer foliage and makes it well suited for naturalized settings.

This is a high maintenance tree that requires regular care and upkeep and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic that may warrant special consideration:
- Suckering

Common Paw Paw is recommended for the following landscape applications:
- Accent
- Naturalizing and Woodland Gardens
- Orchard and Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing:
Common Paw Paw will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This tree performs best in full sun to partial shade and prefers average to evenly moist soil. It will not tolerate standing water and performs best in acidic soil conditions. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution and can be integrated into ornamental landscapes, though it is most often grown in designated edible or woodland gardens. This species is native to parts of North America.