Pawpaw
North America's largest native edible fruit. The name, also spelled paw paw, paw-paw, and papaw, probably derives from the Spanish papaya, perhaps because both plants have large tropical-looking leaves. It is in the same family (Annonaceae) as the custard apple, cherimoya, sweetsop, and soursop, and it is the only member of that family not confined to the tropics. Its fruit has a flavor somewhat similar to both banana and mango, varying significantly by cultivar, and has more protein than most fruits.
In the wild, it is an understory tree of deep fertile bottomland soils. It ranges from Florida to Southern Ontario and as far west as Nebraska.
Cultivation
Although it is a delicious and nutritious fruit, it has never been cultivated on the scale of apples and peaches, primarily because it does not store or ship well. It is also difficult to transplant due to its long taproot. Cultivars are propagated by chip budding or whip grafting.
However, the shipping and storage problem has largely been solved by pulping the fruit and freezing the pulp.
In recent years it has attracted renewed interest, particularly among organic growers, as a native fruit which has few pests and does not require much pesticide use for cultivation.
The commercial growing and harvesting of pawpaws is strongest in southeast Ohio. The annually sponsors the Pawpaw Festival at Lake Snowden near Albany, Ohio. This group is also urging the Ohio state legislature to make the pawpaw the state fruit.
The flowers are self-incompatible, requiring cross pollination; at least two different varieties of the plant are needed as pollenizers. The flowers produce an odor similar to that of rotting meat to attract blowflies or carrion beetles for cross pollination. Lack of pollination is the most common cause of unfruitfulness, and growers resort to hand pollination or to hanging chicken necks or other meat to attract pollinators.
History
The earliest documentation of pawpaws is in the 1541 report of the de Soto expedition, who found Native Americans cultivating it east of the Mississippi River. The Lewis and Clark Expedition depended and sometimes subsisted on pawpaws during their travels. Chilled paw paw fruit was a favorite dessert of George Washington.
Other species of pawpaw
- Slimleaf pawpaw (Asimina angustifolia) - Florida, Georgia and Alabama
- Woolly pawpaw (Asimina incana) - Florida and Georgia
- Bigflower pawpaw (Asimina obovata) - Florida
- Smallflower pawpaw (Asimina parviflora) - southern states from Texas to Virginia
- Dwarf pawpaw (Asimina pygmea) - Florida and Georgia
- Netted pawpaw (Asimina reticulata) - Florida and Georgia
- Fourpetal pawpaw (Asimina tetramera) - Florida
See also
