![]() You can ripen the fruit at room temperature. The pawpaw is sometimes called the Appalachia Banana, Custard Apple, or Poor Man’s Banana. It is often described as a combination of mango, pineapple, and banana. The pawpaw has a creamy, custard-like flesh with a tropical flavor. The awful-tasting acerogenins in the leaves make the Zebra Swallowtail unpalatable to predators. Chemicals in the pawpaw leaves protect the butterflies from predation. It is the only plant on which the larvae of the Zebra Swallowtail Butterflies will feed. The Pawpaw Tree is an important butterfly host plant. The best pawpaw varieties are Shenandoah, Allegheny, Susquehanna, and PA Golden. ![]() If you plant grafted transplants, then you might have to wait three or more years to harvest their fruits. Pawpaw trees grown from seeds can start to produce fruits in four to eight years. Harvesting pawpaws at home is going to take some dedication and patience. The fruit is a great meal for opossums, foxes, squirrels, raccoons, and birds. They defend the tree from hungry woodland animals like rabbits, deer, and even insects. The unpleasant-smelling leaves, twigs, and bark of pawpaws contain natural insecticides called acetogenins. When torn, pawpaw tree leaves have an unpleasant odor. The pawpaw leaves provide a tropical look that is like its Annonaceae cousins. Once pollinated those flowers transform into mango-sized fruits by September. In the springtime, the tree gets beautiful dark maroon flowers. However, the pawpaw tree is clonal and spreads by root, so they grow in patches. Pawpaws protect themselves against blight and mold if planted in areas with good drainage and airflow. These fruit trees like humid aid moist ground, which is why they grow in fertile soil along waterways and hillsides. Pawpaws are understory trees, which means they can still thrive under the canopy of a taller tree. The trees are most common near riverbanks and in the understory of the rich eastern US forests. Pawpaw’s scientific name is Asimina, which comes from the Algonquin word for the tree: assimin. They fruit in late August to early October. The pawpaw grows best in areas with hot summers and cold winters. Pawpaws look like mangos and taste like bananas, a trait of their tropical family tree. A few species, like the pawpaw, extend into temperate regions. There are over 2,000 species in the family including trees, shrubs, and woody climbers. It is the largest family of the magnolia order ( Magnoliales) of flowering plants. The pawpaw belongs to the “custard apple” family of tropical fruits called Annonaceae. Those who know what they are consider pawpaws a delicacy. The Susquehanna NHA is abundant with pawpaws if you know where to look. The fruit is indigenous to 26 states from northern Florida to Maine and west to Nebraska. It is the largest edible fruit native to the United States. The pawpaw is a native fruit with deep roots and a big history that most people have never heard of. River Roots is Susquehanna NHA’s blog series featuring history from York and Lancaster Counties that showcases the Susquehanna River’s historic, cultural, and natural resource contributions to our nation’s heritage.
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