Pawpaw

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; shade young trees from strong afternoon sun for their first two growing seasons.

Water

Keep the root zone consistently moist but not waterlogged, especially during establishment and fruit development.

Soil

Deep, fertile, well-drained soil, preferably slightly acidic to neutral; avoid shallow, drought-prone ground and standing water.

Height

15-30 ft (4.6-9.1 m)

Spread

10-20 ft (3-6.1 m), wider if suckers form a colony

Flowers

Spring, before or as the leaves emerge; hanging, dark maroon flowers.

Foliage

Large, drooping, oblong green leaves give a lush appearance; usually yellow in autumn.

Growth

Slow during establishment, then moderate in suitable conditions.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Heat tolerant
• Disease resistant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.2 m)

3. After 2 years

   8 ft (2.4 m)

4. After 3 years

   8 ft (2.6 m)

5. After 5 years

   10 ft (2.9 m)

About 26 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Native to

the US and Canada

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant young, container-grown trees carefully; the fleshy roots resent disturbance and drying.
• Plant two genetically different trees for reliable pollination; two grafted trees of the same cultivar are not sufficient.
• Water deeply during dry spells, particularly while trees establish and fruit swells.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch, keeping it away from the trunk.
• Feed lightly in spring if growth is weak; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding.
• Remove unwanted root suckers while small if you want a single tree rather than a thicket.

Pruning. Prune lightly in late winter while dormant, removing dead, damaged or crossing branches and retaining a well-spaced framework. Avoid heavy pruning, which removes potential fruiting wood.

Pick ripe pawpaw fruit in late summer to autumn: usually August–October in the US, September–October in Canada and the UK, and February–April in Australia, depending on variety and climate. Fruit is ready when it yields gently to pressure, smells fruity and detaches easily; skin colour alone is unreliable.

Late winter

Prune lightly and remove unwanted suckers.

Spring

Plant young trees with minimal root disturbance and renew mulch.

Spring

If fruit set has been poor, transfer pollen between genetically different trees with a small brush as flowers open.

Summer

Water during dry weather and protect young trees from scorching afternoon sun.

Late summer to autumn

Check fruit frequently; harvest when slightly soft and aromatic, then eat promptly or refrigerate.

Autumn

Collect fallen fruit and remove tree guards that have become tight.

• Plant a small group in an edible landscape, allowing access around each tree for harvesting.
• Use at a woodland edge with shade-tolerant groundcover for a layered planting.
• Include in a food forest where its broad leaves contrast with smaller-leaved fruit trees and shrubs.
• Allow a suckering colony in a spacious naturalistic garden for screening and autumn colour.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Food forest, Backyard orchard, Edible landscape, Wildlife garden and Autumn colour.

Plant it with: Wild ginger, Christmas fern, Foamflower, Woodland phlox and Serviceberry.

Wildlife: Flowers attract small flies and beetles that provide pollination. In its native range, the leaves feed zebra swallowtail caterpillars, while ripe fallen fruit is eaten by mammals.

• Little or no fruit: provide a genetically different pollination partner, improve sunlight and try hand-pollination; cool summers may still prevent ripening.
• Leaf scorch or drought stress: shade young trees from intense sun, mulch and water deeply without saturating the soil.
• Pawpaw peduncle borer in eastern North America: larvae damage flowers and reduce fruit set; remove affected flowers when practical, though control is rarely needed in home gardens.
• Poor establishment or root decline: avoid disturbing roots when planting and correct drainage problems; established trees transplant poorly.

Only the ripe flesh is normally eaten; discard the seeds and skin. Seeds, bark and leaves contain potentially harmful compounds and should not be eaten by people or pets. Ripe flesh can cause nausea or allergic reactions in some people, and frequent or heavy consumption is best avoided because it contains annonacin, whose long-term dietary risk remains uncertain. Specific toxicity and safe doses for cats, dogs and horses are poorly documented; keep them from chewing the plant or eating seeds and fallen fruit.

• Papaya (Carica papaya)

  Also called pawpaw in Australia, but it is a frost-tender plant with deeply lobed leaves clustered near the top of a usually unbranched trunk; Asimina has simple, unlobed leaves on woody branches.

• Cucumber tree (Magnolia acuminata)

  Has somewhat similar large leaves, but upright yellow-green flowers and cone-like fruits rather than hanging maroon flowers and fleshy pawpaw fruits.

The common name pawpaw is thought to be an alteration of papaya, while triloba refers to the flower's three-lobed arrangement of petals.

Propagation. Grow from fresh seed kept moist and given about 90-120 days of cold stratification before sowing in deep pots. Do not let seed dry out. Seedlings vary and take several years to fruit; named cultivars are propagated by grafting.

Accepted botanical name

Asimina triloba

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky and Louisiana.

Measured

Soil pH 4.7 to 7.2. Average height 430 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.