pawpaw Annonaceae Asimina
triloba (L.) Dunal
symbol: ASTR
Leaf: Alternate, simple, obovate to oblong, 5 to 11 inches long, 2 to 3 inches wide, green above and below. Green pepper odor when crushed.
Flower: Species is monoecious; purplish-brown, broad bell shape, 6 petals, 1 to 1 1/2 inch across; appearing with or slightly before the leaves.
Fruit: Very unique in that they resemble a short, fat banana, 2 1/2 to 4 inches long, at first green then tuning yellowish then brown as they ripen in the fall; very fleshy and tastes much like a banana.
Twig: Moderately stout, red-brown; buds purplish brown, fuzzy, naked bud which is flattened and often curved, terminal bud 1/4 to 1/2 inch long.
Bark: Smooth, brown, splotched with wart-like lenticels, often with light gray patches.
Form: A small tree up to 40 feet tall, 12 inches in diameter, often found in growing in small clusters.
Looks like: dwarf pawpaw
- cucumbertree
- umbrella magnolia