Pawpaws

What is the largest edible fruit in North America? If you said the pawpaw (Asimina triloba) you would be correct. This fruit is in the custard apple family (Annonaceae) and is its most northern representative. It was first recorded in 1541 in Mississippi. But it was eaten for centuries by the Native Americans. It is a short single stem tree or multi-stemmed shrub. Its small purple flowers appear in early spring. The fruit develops all summer and ripens towards the end of September. The appeal of the squat chubby fruit is the pulp which is creamy like custard. It has a very strong sweet fragrance as it ripens. The best way to eat it is straight from the ground and broken open. The custard-like pulp can be scooped out and the large seeds tossed aside. The down side of pawpaws? The skin of the fruit can cause a skin irritation and the pulp can cause stomach pain.

Originally the large seeds of the pawpaws were dispersed by megafauna (mastodons, mammoths and ground sloths) all of whom are extinct. Today bears eat the fruits and spread the seeds. Humans play a part in dispersing these trees by planting them horticulturally. When you visit Lasdon Park in late September, look for pawpaw fruit in our orchard. But don’t eat too many!