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 April 15, 2006 |
 April 15, 2006 |
Common Name: Pawpaw
Scientific Name: Asimina triloba
Family: Annonaceae
Serendipity Ranch
Columbus, North Carolina
June 29, 2002
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April 15, 2006 |
April 15, 2006 |
A low, slender, often bushy, native shrub. The thin leaves, odorus when bruised, are obovate, often 6 - 8 inches long, and appear after the maroon, 3-parted, 1 - 1 1/2 inches broad flowers. The fleshy, fragrant fruit, 2 - 3 inches long, is edible. A native of the eastern U.S., these trees are infrequently found in low woods at scattered localities throughout the state. March - May [Justice, William S. and Bell, C. Ritchie, Wild Flowers of North Carolina. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1968]
The chocolate-brown flowers appear in April on trees up to 20 feet high. The edible fruits mature in August and September. Somewhat uncommon, the tree is found only in a few moist locations up to 2,500 feet. One thicket occurs between Gatlinburg and park headquarters and another above Smokemont. This is the park's only member of an important family of tropical fruits. [Campbell, Carlos C., Hutson, William F., Sharp, Aaron J., Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers, Fourth Edition. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, 1977]
Deciduous shrub or occasionally small tree to 4 - 5 inches in diameter. Leaves 6 - 10 inches long, short acuminate at apex, widest about the middle and gradually narrowed toward the base. Flowers 1 - 1 1/2 inches wide with 6 brownish-purple petals in 2 whorls, appearing before the leaves. Fruit fleshy, edible, and about 1 1/2 inch thick and from 2 - 6 inches long; ripens in late summer and is yellowish-brown, soft and fragrant. Seed flattened, about 1 inch long. Rich low woods, especially along streams. New York to Florida. [Batson, Wade T., Wild Flowers in the Carolinas, Everbest Printing Co. Ltd., Hong Kong, 1990]
The ripe fruit of pawpaw is sweet; it can be eaten raw, baked as pie filling, or made into a variety of other foods. The fruits are collected when green (often from the ground) and kept until ripe. The fruits are readily eaten by wildlife. Early settlers made yellow dye from the ripe pulp. March - May. [Porcher, Richard D., Wildflowers of the Carolina Low Country and Lower Pee Dee, University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, South Carolina, 1995]
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Alphabetical Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Family Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Genus Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
