The genus Asimina includes the only temperate members of this family. Because they are broader at the tip than at the base the leaves droop, giving pawpaw a "sleepy" or tropical appearance. Planting only one tree can help alleviate the problem, as lack of cross-pollination leads to production of less fruit. Its fruit and foliage produce a great deal of litter. Indians in Louisiana used the inner bark to weave a fiber cloth.Īlthough pawpaw is in great demand, it does have a disadvantage. Early North American settlers used the fruit to make jelly, and the tree's inner bark to string fish. The fruit, a favorite food of American Indians, was used to feed DeSoto's conquistadors. The first reference to pawpaw came in writings of Hernando DeSoto's expedition to the Mississippi Valley in 1541. Pawpaws contain more potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and sulfur than apples, grapes or peaches. It is an excellent source of vitamins A and C, and is high in unsaturated fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It also attracts the beautiful zebra swallowtail butterfly, giving added incentive for wildlife lovers to obtain the tree. The fruit attracts wildlife (especially raccoons, opossums, gray squirrels and birds). Fruit with orange flesh is considered the tastiest. Cross-pollination is needed to get good fruit set in pawpaw. On dormant stems, pointed buds are vegetative while flower buds are round and fuzzy. Extract from pawpaw can overcome the ability of some cancer cells to reject chemotherapy. An insecticide can be made from the tree's ground-up bark and twigs. Visit find a nursery in your area.There has been great demand for pawpaw recently, not only because of its appealing ornamental characteristics and tastyfruit, but also because of its potential as a source of organic insecticide and for use in cancer therapy. Netted pawpaw is occasionally available from nurseries that specialize in Florida native plants. It is drought-tolerant once established, but cannot withstand exposure to salt. Garden tips:Netted pawpaw is suitable for naturalistic landscapes as well as butterfly gardens. Soil: Dry to moist, well-drained sandy soils To see where natural populations of Netted pawpaw have been vouchered, visit. Native range: Peninsula, from Bradford County south to Miami-Dade Hamilton County Check out his website for more information on edibility, as well as historical uses of the plant.įamily: Annonaceae (Custard apple or soursop family) *According to renowned forager Green Dean, pawpaw fruit should be eaten with caution as some people have an allergic reaction to it. The species epithet reticulata and the common descriptor “netted” refer to the plant’s reticulated or “netted” leaf veins. Seeds are born in yellowish-green oblong to cylindrical berries. Mature leaves are elliptic to oblong, leathery, and have a glabrous upper surface and few orange hairs on the underside. Young leaf uppers are sparsely covered in orange hairs undersides are densely covered. The blooms are axillary, nodding and appear before leaves emerge. Inner petals are small, fleshy and generally upright or inward pointing. The three outer petals are large, oblong and outward spreading. Netted pawpaw’s fragrant showy flowers are creamy white with six petals.
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