Identifying characteristics:
The pawpaw is a small, attractive, multistemmed, native shrub or small tree
with a short trunk and spreading branches. This moderately fast-growing
understory tree grows to 30 feet and usually has a pyramidal shape. The
simple, alternate, deciduous leaves
are large (7 to 12 inches long) and covered with fine, rust-colored hairs
when young, becoming hairless with age. Leaves have entire margins and are
light green, becoming yellow-green or brilliant yellow in the fall. The
leaf texture is thin and papery, and the leaves have an unpleasant odor
when bruised. Inconspicuous flowers
are usually borne solitary or in clusters in early May, hidden among the
foliage on the previous year's branches. They are bell-shaped, with 6 petals-the
outer 3 larger than the inner 3-and 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The word
"triloba" refers to the 3-lobed calyx. Their color changes from
green to deep maroon and they have an unpleasant odor. The fruit
is a large, 2- to 3-inch, elongated, irregularly-shaped, edible, berry that
turns from green to yellow-green, and finally to black when the sweet, custard-textured
flesh is ready to eat. The second year twigs have a white, diaphragmed
pith. Leaf scars are crescent-shaped, with 5 to 7 bundle scars. The
naked buds are composed of tiny leaves with numerous dense, reddish-brown
hairs. Flower buds are globose and stalked, and leaf buds are elongated
and nearly sessile. The smooth, light brown bark
has gray blotches and small, warty projections.
Similar species:
Ecology:
Distribution: The pawpaw occurs primarily in the eastern US, from
Florida and New York, west to Nebraska and Texas. This tree is mentioned
in the chronicles of De Soto's 1541 expedition into the Mississippi Valley.
In Iowa it is found in scattered areas in the Mississippi Valley, and in
a few locations in the eastern and southwestern counties.
Habitat: Hardy from zone 5 to 8, the pawpaw prefers deep, moist, fertile, slightly acid soil and forms thickets in river valleys and bottomlands. It can tolerate full sun or semi-shade conditions. No serious pests or diseases are associated with this species, but serveral leaf spots, twig and branch cankers, as well as fruit and wood rots have been reported from Indiana and Michigan.
Uses:
Wood: Because this species is relatively small and the wood
coarse-grained, soft and weak, it is not used for timber. The heartwood
is a light, greenish-yellow and the sapwood a darker color. The inner bark
was used by some Native Americans to weave fiber cloth, and settlers used
the bark fiber for stringing fish.
Wildlife: The delicious, sweet, banana-flavored fruit is often eaten by wildlife before it is discovered by humans. Wildlife species including raccoons, squirrels, opossums, foxes, bears and turkeys eat the fruit. Pioneers used the fruits to make jellies and desserts. The seed is said to contain an alkaloid that has a stupefying effect on animals' brains.
Horticulture: The large leaves create a semi-tropical effect in the landscape, making this an interesting tree for naturalizing stream banks and other sites too wet for many trees.
