Asimina triloba

Photographs belong to the photographers who allow use for FNPS purposes only. Please contact the photographer for all other uses.

Common Pawpaw, Dog-banana, Indian-banana

Recommended Uses:

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

Considerations:

Difficult to establish because of long taproot.

Propagation:

Can be grown from seed.

Availability:

Native nurseries, Seed

Light:

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

always floodedextremely dry

(Stays Wet ----- to ----- Not wet but not extremely dry)

Moisture Tolerance:

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

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.

Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or other substrate:

Loam, Sand

Soil pH:

Wildlife:	Small mammals and birds harvest the fruit.
Insects:	Pollinated by flies and beetles
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.

Suitable to grow in:
8A 8B 9A 9B

USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures

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.