Pawpaw

Pawpaw usually refers to *Asimina triloba*, a deciduous small tree or large shrub in the custard apple family (Annonaceae).

Pawpaw usually refers to *Asimina triloba*, a deciduous small tree or large shrub in the custard apple family (Annonaceae). It is native to eastern North America and produces the largest edible fruit native to the United States and Canada. The species is the only temperate member of the Annonaceae family, which is otherwise tropical.

Description

Pawpaw (*Asimina triloba*) is a deciduous understory tree or large shrub with large leaves and large yellow-green to brown fruits. It belongs to the Annonaceae, a family otherwise concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions.

Distribution and habitat

The species is native to eastern North America, with a range extending from the northeastern and midwestern United States southward and into Ontario, Canada. It commonly grows in moist, nutrient-rich woods, bottomlands, and along streams.

Fruit and uses

The pawpaw fruit is edible and noted for its large size and custard-like flesh. Sources describe it as a traditional food for Indigenous peoples and later settlers, though its short shelf life makes commercial handling difficult.

Taxonomy and naming

The accepted scientific name is *Asimina triloba*. The genus *Asimina* is the only temperate genus in the otherwise tropical Annonaceae family, and the common name "pawpaw" is sometimes linked to the Spanish word "papaya" rather than to true papayas.