Tree · Annonaceae
Pawpaw
Asimina triloba
North America's largest native fruit, rich as custard and tasting of banana and mango, ripens on a tree few gardeners know.
Full sun
Every 5–7 days
USDA 5–8
15–30 ft · 4.6–9.1 m
Overview
The pawpaw is the largest fruit native to North America, and yet somehow it's still a stranger to most gardens. It grows wild in the understory of eastern woods, all the way from the Gulf states up into Canada, and it carries a soft, green-skinned fruit with custard flesh that tastes like banana and mango rolled together.
So what is it, exactly? A small, slow tree that in the wild ripens its crop in the shade of taller trees, though it fruits best once it finds full sun. The flowers are an odd maroon color, and they open in early spring before the leaves show, pulling in flies and beetles instead of bees. That one quirk, more than anything else, decides whether you get fruit.
Plant a pawpaw and you're taking on a tree that asks for patience early on and pays you back with a fruit you just won't find in a store. It needs two unrelated trees to set a crop, steady moisture while it settles in, and a few years before it bears. After that? It pretty much looks after itself.
Care
The short version: give it deep, fertile, moisture-holding soil and steady water while it's getting established, some shade for the first year or two, then full sun for the best fruit, and don't forget a second unrelated tree so the flowers can cross-pollinate.
Light
Young pawpaws want shade for their first year or two, which mimics the woodland understory where seedlings naturally get started. Once it's established, the tree fruits best in full sun, though it'll still grow and bear in partial or even full shade.
Water
Pawpaws like deep, evenly moist soil that still drains, and they need regular watering through those first two years while the roots settle in. They're fine with moist river-bottom ground, but heavy or waterlogged soil that never dries out? That's a no.
Soil
Give them deep, fertile, well-drained loam that holds moisture, on the slightly acidic side with a pH of 5.5 to 7.0. Heavy clay and ground that stays soggy are really the only two things they won't put up with.
Temperature
Pawpaws are tough in the cold, hardy from about -20°F to 90°F (-29°C to 32°C), and they actually need a real winter chill to fruit well. Just watch out, because a hard late frost in early spring can still nip the flowers.
Humidity
They like the moderate to high humidity of their native eastern range, roughly 50% to 80%, and outdoors in those areas it just comes naturally. So there's really no number to stress about in the garden.
Feeding
While a young tree's getting established, feed it a balanced fertilizer such as 20-20-20 every couple of weeks from spring into early summer. Then ease off as the tree matures and settles into steady growth.
Pruning
Pawpaws don't ask for much pruning at all. In late winter or early spring, take out any dead, damaged, or crossing branches and tidy up the shape, and pull the root suckers so the tree doesn't wander off into a thicket.
Repotting
Not applicable; grown in the ground as a landscape or orchard tree, not as a container houseplant
Size & spacing
A grown pawpaw stands 15 to 30 feet (4.5 to 9 m) tall and spreads about as wide, so leave it the same 15 to 30 feet (4.5 to 9 m) of room. And remember, it spreads by suckers, so give it space for the little colony it wants to build.
When to plant
Pawpaws just follow the rhythm of the temperate woods. Pop containerized trees in the ground in spring as new growth begins, so the brittle taproot has the whole season to settle, keep an eye out for the maroon flowers in early to mid spring before the leaves, and pick the ripening fruit from late summer into fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Spring, during new growth, using containerized stock to protect the brittle taproot
- Harvest: Blooms early to mid spring before the leaves emerge; fruit ripens late summer to early fall (about August to October)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–8
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
Here's the good news: pawpaws stay remarkably free of pests and disease, so most trouble traces back to pollination or a rough transplant rather than bugs. Just match what you see below and the cause usually jumps right out. Act early and the fix is easy.
Lots of blooms, but where's the fruit?
Nine times out of ten, an empty tree comes down to pollination. Pawpaws are mostly self-incompatible, and bees don't bother with the flowers, so one lone tree or two grafts of the same cultivar won't give you much. Want a crop? Plant two unrelated trees, and step in with hand-pollination when flies and beetles are thin on the ground.
Fix:
- Plant at least two different cultivars or unrelated seedlings; hand-pollinate flowers if natural fly and beetle activity is low
The new tree just sits there or gives up
Here's the thing: a pawpaw grows one long, fleshy, brittle taproot with hardly any fine hairs, and it really doesn't like being dug up and shifted. That's why wild or bare-root plants tend to flop. So go with container-grown stock, plant it in spring as new growth kicks off, and give young seedlings a bit of shade for their first year or two while those roots settle in.
Fix:
- Use container-grown stock, transplant in spring during new growth, and shade young seedlings for the first one to two years
Flower stalks shrivel and drop before fruit shows up
If blooms are dropping early, the usual suspect is the peduncle borer moth, whose larvae tunnel into the flower stalks and finish off the bloom before it can set. Don't panic, though, because it's usually pretty minor. Just snip off the affected stalks and toss them, and leave the rest alone. The tree's natural acetogenins keep it nearly pest-free the rest of the time anyway.
Fix:
- Tolerate minor damage; remove and destroy affected flower stalks; trees are otherwise nearly pest-free due to natural acetogenins
Spotty leaves or a bit of nibbling on new growth
Every so often a pawpaw catches Phyllosticta leaf spot or a bit of flyspeck fungi, or the leaves get chewed by zebra swallowtail larvae, Japanese beetles, or thrips. It looks worse than it really is, honestly. The damage stays skin-deep and barely touches the crop, so you don't need to spray, and those swallowtail caterpillars won't do any lasting harm.
Fix:
- Usually cosmetic and not harmful to yield; no treatment normally needed; zebra swallowtail larvae seldom cause permanent damage
Toxicity
The ripe, peeled flesh is a genuine treat and totally safe for people, but the rest of the plant? Not for eating. The seeds and skin hold acetogenins that upset the stomach, and the leaves, twigs, and bark carry insecticidal compounds. Since there's no pet-toxicity data on file, it's best to treat the seeds, skin, foliage, and prunings as a mild caution around animals and kids.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Caution
There's no cat-specific data out there, so it's smart to err on the safe side. The seeds, skin, leaves, and twigs all hold acetogenins that can upset the stomach, so keep a nosy cat from chewing on fallen fruit or prunings.
Dogs Caution
A dog that wolfs down seeds, skin, or chewed-up leaves might drool or get a queasy stomach thanks to those acetogenins. The ripe flesh itself is pretty mild, but everything else is worth keeping out of reach.
Horses Caution
There's no grazing data for horses, so why take the chance? The bitter leaves and twigs carry insecticidal compounds, so fencing them off beats offering them.
Rabbits Caution
Rabbits really shouldn't nibble the foliage, seeds, or skin, since the acetogenins can upset their gut. A tiny taste of ripe pulp is the only bit worth thinking about, and even that only now and then.
Livestock Caution
Cattle, goats, and sheep usually steer clear of the bitter leaves on their own, and that instinct's a good one. Still, it's worth clearing prunings and fallen seeds out of pastures just to be sure.
Birds Caution
Out in the wild, birds and mammals happily eat the ripe fruit and scatter the seeds around, but the seeds and skin aren't something a pet bird should swallow. If you share any at all, keep it to a little ripe pulp.
People Ripe flesh safe
The ripe, peeled flesh is a custard-sweet treat that's totally safe to eat. The seeds and skin, though? They hold emetic acetogenins that'll turn your stomach, and handling the fruit gives some folks a skin rash.
Wear gloves when harvesting if you are prone to skin irritation; do not eat or let pets or children chew the seeds, skin, leaves, or twigs.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Wild pawpaws vary a whole lot from tree to tree, so breeders have gone and picked out the best for size, flavor, and few seeds. These named cultivars are the ones worth tracking down.
Shenandoah
This Peterson Pawpaws release gives you large, yellow-skinned fruit with butter-colored flesh, a mild sweet flavor, and few seeds for how big the fruit is.
Susquehanna
Another Peterson Pawpaws release, this one's loved for its very large fruit, thick flesh, few seeds, and a sweet, rich flavor.
Mango
A vigorous selection that carries round fruit with orange-yellow flesh inside.
Sunflower
A large, late-ripening pawpaw that got its start over in eastern Kansas.
How to propagate
You can raise a pawpaw from seed if you're patient, but if you want a named cultivar to stay true to type, you'll have to graft it.
SeedModerate
Growing from seed takes some patience, no way around it. The seed wants 90 to 120 days of cold, moist stratification before it'll sprout, and the seedlings are slow starters at first. They also come up genetically variable, so a seed-grown tree won't be a match for the parent cultivar.
GraftingDemanding
If you want a named cultivar to stay true, you graft it rather than grow it from seed. Growers join a cutting of the variety they want onto a seedling rootstock using whip-and-tongue, cleft, bark inlay, or chip budding, and it's a skilled job that really comes down to good timing and a steady hand.
Myths
Pawpaws are pollinated by bees.
The flowers give off a faint, fetid smell that bees can't stand, so they steer well clear. Flies and beetles do the real work here, lured in by that odor, which is why a row of pawpaws stays quiet of any buzzing even when it's in full bloom.
One tree, or two of the same grafted cultivar, will give you a full crop.
Pawpaws are mostly self-incompatible, so a flower can't be fertilized by its own pollen or a clone of itself. You'll need two genetically different trees for a real harvest, and that means two seedlings or two separate cultivars, not two copies of the same one.
The whole fruit is safe to eat.
Only the ripe pulp belongs on your plate, so that's the part to go for. The seeds and skin carry acetogenins that'll turn your stomach, so scoop out the soft flesh and leave the rest behind.