The Pawpaw Tree - Natalea Odell

The Pawpaw Tree 

The Pawpaw tree is native to North America and produces the largest edible fruit. The pawpaw fruit ripens late in the year, in late summer but peaks in September and October. Its flavor has been described quite uniquely, with hints of banana, vanilla, and citrus. It’s quite small, resembling a green potato or miniature watermelon. They appear in clusters along the tree, for hikers or wildlife to munch on. While these fruits are tasty, they aren’t super common. These trees are “self-incompatible” which means they need pollen from flowers on other trees. You may find a bunch of these trees in one section, but if you look underground, they share a root system, making them, technically, one plant. These trees are not pollinated by bees, but flies and beetles. Pawpaw trees are the most common, or second most common, in many parks near us. 

Their habitat has changed in recent decades, going from lowland habitats to upland forests. We are not sure exactly why, but it seems that deer browsing plays a role. Deers do not like this tree and avoid it. The food preference of deer benefits this tree in two ways: The pawpaw will not have to use the majority of its energy to recover from being a deer’s snack and when deer eat the other plants around the pawpaw, it has more room to grow. 


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