Asimina triloba

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Common Pawpaw, Dog-banana, Indian-banana

Annonaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:Tree
Size:15-20 ft, may be clonal.
Life Span:Long-lived perennial
Flower Color:Red
Fruit Color:Green
Phenology:Deciduous
Noted for:Interesting foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:Small specimen tree. Also works well as a component of floodplain forests.
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:Acidic to neutral

Ecology

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.

Distribution and Planting Zones

Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones

Suitable to grow in:
8A 8B 9A 

USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures

Comments

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.