Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

common pawpaw, dog-banana, Indian-banana

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Asimina triloba

Family:

Annonaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

15-20 ft, may be clonal.

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

red

Fruit Color:

green

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Small specimen tree. Also works well as a component of floodplain forests.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Can be grown from seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

-|----|----|-- <------------------------> ----|----|----|----|-

Stays wet ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds, Mammals

Pollinated by flies and beetles

Small mammals and birds harvest the fruit.

Native Habitats:

River floodplains, predominantly to the north of Florida. In most of Florida, Asimina parviflora would be more appropriate yet very similar in appearance.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Fruits edible.  According to Epps (2019), the fruit of Asimina triloba is the largest edible fruit native to the U.S. and can weigh up to a pound although 5 to 7 ounces is more typical.  They also suggest that with the possible exception of the black bear, the seeds are too large to be ingested by modern north American mammals.  They conjecture that the primary spreader of the seeds was humans.

General Comments:

Flowers are dark maroon, not showy.