FNPS Plant Database

Asimina parviflora

smallflower pawpaw

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Nomenclature

Common Name:

smallflower pawpaw

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Asimina parviflora

Family:

Annonaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

To 15 ft tall and up to 10 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

red, purple

Fruit Color:

green, brown

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms early spring. Fruits ripen in late spring-summer.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Small tree appropriate to moist areas.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Plant Nurseries

Propagation:

Seed

Light:

Part Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Somewhat moist, no flooding

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:

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.
Moths, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Pollinators

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

Native Habitats:

Floodplains

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Edible fruit

General Comments:

Citations:

Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. 1999. Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.


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