Paw Paw
Asimina triloba
North America's largest native fruit: custardy, tropical-tasting paw paws in August after maroon spring flowers. Deer won't touch it.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Sep 248 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Sep 258 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Sep 268 AM – 2 PM
The only native fruit tree that tastes tropical and deer won't eat.
The paw paw is North America's largest native fruit tree, and it earns its place in any landscape twice over. In April, maroon-purple flowers emerge on bare branches, unusual, slightly eerie, and beloved by flies and native bees that emerge early in the season when little else is open. Come August, the fruit appears: soft, custardy, tropical-tasting. People who taste one for the first time can't believe it grew here. The foliage is bold and tropical-looking, up to twelve inches long, turning clear yellow in fall before dropping. Paw paw spreads by root suckers over time, forming dense colonies in the wild. Plant in a naturalized area and let it do what it wants. Deer won't touch it. The leaves and stems contain acetogenins that deter most mammals, which is exactly why you want it in a yard where deer pressure is real.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown paw paw propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Part sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 8–20 ft · 8–15 ft wide
- Bloom time
- Mar, early spring
- Bloom color
- Maroon
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- Family
- Annonaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America from New York to Florida, west to Nebraska and Kansas
Care notes for paw paw.
Paw paw prefers partial shade when young, especially in hotter zones, and moist, well-drained soil with good organic matter. Plant at least two seedlings for cross-pollination to get reliable fruit set. Hand-pollinating with a small brush improves yields dramatically. Established trees are largely self-sufficient; water during drought the first two years.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside paw paw.
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