Hello Fellow Readers,
As I write, it’s President’s day, honoring George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Some states combine remembrance of Thomas Jefferson, who was born in April. This brings to mind the Pawpaw tree most have never heard of. Jefferson planted a grove of them on his Monticello estate in Virginia. And journals from the Lewis and Clark Expedition recorded pawpaw fruit was enjoyed and counted on when provisions were scarce.
Pawpaw Fruit is also called Poor Man’s Banana
Pawpaw Fruit Scott Bauer, USDA [Public domain]
It’s the largest fruit indigenous to the United States besides gourds. According to Michael Dirr, the guru of woody plants, it has a banana texture but tastes like a combination of pear and banana. Others say it tastes like vanilla custard with a bit of citrus. It’s eaten raw or used in baked goods. Please stay clear of the seeds, though, as they are said to be poisonous.
Native Pawpaw makes a lovely landscape tree.
Pawpaw is native to the eastern United States to Canada, zones 5 to 8, and grow in colonies creating a tropical appearance. It can be found in east Texas and Arkansas, as far west as Nebraska, and as far south as Florida. They’re a fast-growing small tree that grows to thirty-five feet. Some nurseries sell them, though most don’t know about them.
The fruit is unfamiliar too as they have a short shelf life, two or three days or a week if chilled, and therefore are not often seen at grocers. Not a problem for home growers, though, as you can freeze the flesh and use it in smoothies or ice cream. Pick them just as they ripen before falling from the tree as they ferment to an astringent taste.
Pawpaw Flower By Kenraiz, Krzysztof Ziarnek – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
They prefer part sun, say five hours a day, though Dirr writes they do well in full sun too in moist, slightly acidic soil. They often grow along woodland edges. Their purplish maroon flowers come early to mid-May in these parts (zone 5b-6) just before or about when their leaves emerge. Some say the flowers smell like rotten meat, hopefully only when you stick your nose in them. Besides, they can’t be that bad as butterflies adore them.
Pawpaw foliage is beefy.
Their foliage is beefy, much like my favored Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora), with large finger-like leaves that fan out from the center. They, too, turn brilliant yellow in the fall, and, drum roll please, they are “A” in deer resistance per Rutgers University, just like Bottlebrush Buckeye.
I love the idea of adding a few Pawpaw right next to our Buckeyes, though I’ve heard our resident raccoons may beat us to the fruit. That’s okay. I’ll share a few pawpaws with the furry four-pawed fellows. Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone@gmail.com
Our resident raccoons may beat us to the fruit. That’s okay…
I’ll share a few pawpaws with the furry four-pawed fellows.
Enjoy a story on Planting Pawpaw Seeds and a column on Jefferson’s Monticello – a lab for plants.
There’s more to the story in Episode 82 of the Garden Dilemmas Podcast.
Column updated 11/12/22
