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Pawpaw
Asimina triloba
Pawpaw is the largest edible fruit native to North America, with a custard-like texture and a flavour often compared to banana. It is a natural understory tree that spreads into colonies by underground runners, and it needs two genetically distinct trees to set fruit since a single tree cannot pollinate itself. Fruit quality varies sharply between seedlings, from banana-custard to unpleasant, so grafted named varieties are worth the cost - and both the seeds and heavy or prolonged fruit consumption carry real toxicity risks worth knowing about.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun · Shade
- USDA zone
- USDA 5–9
- Soil
- Loam
- Moisture
- Moderate · Moist · Wet
Vertical layer
Sub-Canopy- Soil pH
- 4.7–6
- Plant type
- Deciduous Tree
- Mature height
- 15–30 ft
- Mature spread
- 15–30 ft
- Plant spacing
- 6–24 ft
- Root type
- Tap
- Spread pattern
- Root
Keep exploring
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Sub-Canopy · USDA 5–9
Allegheny Serviceberry
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American Hornbeam
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Banana Plantain
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Bay Laurel
Laurus nobilis
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Black Locust
Robinia pseudoacacia
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The deeper layer
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- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
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- Byproduct
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Behind the record
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