Pawpaw

Pawpaw (Asimina sps) is a Florida native shrub and a host for the Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) butterfly. The flowers of various species range from white to dark purple and the fruit of all species is edible. A member of the custard apple family, these fruits go from ripe to rotting in less than a week, so actually getting to eat a pawpaw fruit has to be very well timed. Once opened, the fruits have large seeds that should be removed and the flesh has a custard like consistancy.

Pawpaw is a tricky plant to transplant. Above the ground you may see a small plant, not much more than a foot tall, but once you begin digging, you'll understand why these hardy little shrubs are so very drought tolerant. Pawpaws grow with a very long taproot so that a plant even just a foot tall might have a taproot system more than six feet long. If the delicate taproot is disturbed, the plant will suffer damage and possibly die. Because of this, pawpaws are hard to find in cultivation and can't really be transplanted from the wild.

So far at MOSI Outside, we've only found one vendor for pawpaws in the state of Florida. Pietro's Pawpaws, owned and operated by Terri Pietroburgo grows pawpaws in extra tall pots so that the young plants can establish a nice taproot system before they are transplanted. Each purchase also comes with a care sheet that explains precisely how to plant and care for your new pawpaw plant. If you would like to add a pawpaw to your garden, keep your eyes out for the Pietro's booth at garden shows around Florida.

What's in a Name?

The genus name Asimina is derived from the Native American Algonquian word for the pawpaw fruit, "assimin" or "rassimin". In Algonquian, the word "min" means fruit or berry.

There are 8 pawpaw species native to the state of Florida:

• Asimina obovata (Bigflower Pawpaw)
• Asimina parviflora (Smallflower Pawpaw)
• Asimina pygmaea (Dwarf Pawpaw)
• Asimina incana (Wooly Pawpaw)
• Asimina angustifolia (Slimleaf Pawpaw),
• Asimina reticulata (Netted Pawpaw)
• Asimina tetramera (Four Petaled Pawpaw)
• Asimina triloba (Common Pawpaw)