3/23/2023 0 Comments Paw paw fruit![]() These trees are more likely to bear fruit. That, coupled with the fact that so many pawpaw thickets are essentially groups of non-fruiting clones sharing the same DNA, pawpaw fruit can be really hard to find in the forest.īut in some regions, like Florida and south Georgia, pawpaws are commonly found growing in full sun along the edges of pastures and fields, thriving in drier, well-drained dirt. Like most fruit trees, though, pawpaws are much more productive in the sun, while the naturally growing trees in the shade of forest tend to be less likely to bear fruit. Throughout the pawpaw’s range, it normally occurs as an understory tree, hidden from view in the shade of taller trees, which is one reason the pawpaw is not such a well-known fruit even where it’s native. In doing so, deer eliminate the competition and make way for pawpaws to effortlessly move into new areas. The theory is that, since deer populations are unnaturally high in many areas and since they don’t like pawpaw leaves, the deer are more prone to browse the tastier plants that grow alongside pawpaws, like spicebush and maple. ![]() They attribute the spread partly to deer foraging habits. Pawpaws thrive in wettish areas like river bottoms but, according to the National Park Service, their range has expanded into higher and drier forests in recent years. NRCS/PLANT database pawpaw range map Habitat Pawpaws grow naturally as far west as Texas, north to Canada, and throughout most of the midwestern and eastern U.S. The flowers are about two inches across and have three outer petals and three smaller inner petals - they can be white, purple, or maroon. Some pawpaw growers even hang chicken skins and other foul (get it?) attractants in their orchards to draw in the pollinators necessary for setting fruit. They’re pollinated by carrion flies which are attracted by the distinct scent of rotting flesh. Pawpaw flowers appear in early spring as beautiful blossoms that smell disgusting. The leaves are alternate, smooth, and wider at the tip. ![]() It's something I have a hard time imagining. I had a friend who spoke of the pawpaws that took over his yard. The pawpaw spreads primarily by sending out runners or suckers, often forming dense thickets of clones that are barren because they lack the genetic diversity necessary to produce fruit. Some are dwarf versions, growing only four or five feet high (more species listed below). Pawpaw trees generally don’t get more than 40 feet or so tall and they commonly appear as small shrubs.Īsimina triloba is the most prominent species, but there are a few others that occur in various subregions of the pawpaw’s range. Maybe all the folks who get sick are just victims of bad timing? Either way, as with any wild food you’ve not eaten before, maybe just try a little at first. In Andrew Moore’s book Pawpaw: In Search of America’s Forgotten Fruit, Jim Davis of Deep Run Pawpaw Orchard says that pawpaws can be emetic when underripe or overripe. Some have reported that illness ensued immediately, while others say it took eating a second pawpaw some time later. The texture is somewhat like a mango without all of the stringiness, often referred to as “custardy”.Ī bit of caution, though: Pawpaws make some people nauseated after eating them. It’s been compared with bananas, mangos, pineapple, and any combination thereof. The flavor reportedly varies from tree to tree and even fruit to fruit. ![]() Or scoop it all into a bowl and then separate the seeds. I believe the best way to eat a pawpaw is to just suck it out of the skin. The fruit is also loaded with largish dark brown, toxic seeds that get in the way of spooning out the good stuff. Simply scrape away that layer to avoid the bitterness. Pawpaws sometimes have a slight bitterness about them that’s caused by a thin layer of phenolic compounds that lies between the skin and the sweet flesh. It’s not a fruit that you just take a bite of. The light yellow flesh inside is mushy and tends to ooze out of the skin when you cut a pawpaw open. The skin, which is not eaten, is thin but tough and bruises easily - it’s a quality that usually gets blamed for the pawpaw’s failure to achieve commercial status in modern markets. Pawpaws have a distinct floral or fruity smell which alludes to the sweet flesh that lies beneath the skin. They get super-soft and fall off the tree when they’re fully ripe but they can be shaken off when they’re close to being ripe. They start off green (often with black spots) and turn yellow, brown, and then purplish black. Pawpaws are normally three to six inches long, sort of kidney-shaped, and they grow in clusters like bananas. ![]() Depending on region, pawpaws are ready from the end of August through October and the season lasts about 30 days. ![]()
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