FNPS Plant Database

Asimina obovata

flag pawpaw, bigflower pawpaw, scrub pawpaw

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Nomenclature

Common Name:

flag pawpaw, bigflower pawpaw, scrub pawpaw

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Asimina obovata

Family:

Annonaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

to 10 ft

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

green

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms late winter-early spring.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Understory shrub

Considerations:

Difficult to transplant because of long taproot.

Availability:

Native Plant Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Usually grown from nursery stock. Difficult to transplant, minimize root disturbance and keep moist until established. Can be grown from seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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

Not wet but not extremely dry ---to--- Very long very dry periods

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:

Sand

Soil pH:

acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8B, 9A, 9B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Birds, Mammals
Small mammals and birds harvest the fruit.
Caterpillars, Butterflies, Pollinators, Moths

Larval host for zebra swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) and pawpaw sphinx (Dolba hyloeus). Pollinated by flies and beetles.

Native Habitats:

Dry hammocks, dry hardwood forests, sandhill, clayhill, scrub

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Edible fruit

General Comments:

Citations:

Gann, G.D., C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. Natives For Your Neighborhood. https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Asimobov , accessed 2025. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, Florida.


Minno, Marc and Maria Minno. 1999. Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Tras, Pamela. 2001. Gardening for Florida's Butterflies. Great Outdoors Publishing, St. Petersburg, FL.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants. https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ , accessed 2025. Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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