Saturday, October 26, 2019

PawPaw - Asimina triloba

Annonaceae - Custard Apple Family
"A Year With the Trees" - Tree Number 7
PawPaw Tree
Asimina triloba



Spring


Paw Paw Leaves

Summer
The Paw Paw tree by Robert Priddy 
The Paw Paw tree by Robert Priddy 
These trees grow in colonies. There are many of these PawPaws all in one location in the Asheville Botanical Gardens. One rather big tree and probably 20 smaller ones. The fruit as you can see in this image is small and green.













This tree is very fruitful this time of year in North Carolina.

My friend has a PawPaw patch living in her yard. Which reminded me of the PawPaw patch song,

"Pickin' up paw-paws; put 'em in a basket.
Pickin' up paw-paws; put 'em in a basket.
Pickin' up paw-paws; put 'em in a basket.
Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch."

The largest native American edible fruit is the PawPaw. These fruits can weigh up to 16 ounces. They are usually 3 - 6 inches in length. PawPaws are green on the outside, yellow on the inside with 10 to 14 one-inch sized seeds in two rows.

My friend, Heather, gave me these PawPaws; I cut into this one and tasted it for the very first time.
It reminded me of a combination of a mango-cantaloupe-banana with a pudding-like texture. I thought it tasted interesting. I think one may have to develop a taste for this fruit to really enjoy it. My friend said her husband puts lime juice on the PawPaws and that tastes really good to him.

I asked several people and never got anyone to actually say that they loved to eat this fruit. So, I decided to research this further. In reading about this fruit, there are people out there that love to eat PawPaws, they call them sublime. So, I recommend you try them yourselves.

There are many health benefits to this fruit.; I read that they really improve digestion. They have been linked to Cancer Research as well. Kentucky State University even has a research program devoted to the PawPaw. I sense that we will be seeing much more of this fruit in the world of health.




Fall 

The PawPaw Tree

This drawing of the PawPaw tree with a Yellow Billed Cuckoo by John James Audubon is my favorite drawing of a PawPaw tree.  I think because I love the Yellow Billed Cuckoo.  (and the song about the yellow billed cuckoo)

The folk ballad from Clarence Ashley in the 1920's goes:

"...Oh the Cuckoo, she's a pretty bird
She warbles as she flies
She never hollers cuckoo till the 4th day of July
..."

John James Audubon [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AYellow-billed_Cuckoo_(Audubon).jpg


Paw Paw patch at the Asheville Botanical Gardens


Winter



PawPaw tree


Annonaceae - Custard Apple Family

The Champion PawPaw Trees

The American Forest Champion PawPaw Tree lives in Maryland.  It is 59 feet tall.  You can read more about it at: Americanforests.org

https://www.americanforests.org/big-trees/common-pawpaw-asimina-triloba-3/


My favorite PawPaw Tree


The PawPaw tree colony at the Botanical Gardens of Asheville, is my favorite PawPaw patch I know.


Plant a Sweet PawPaw Tree

I encourage everyone to always plant native trees to the area in which you live.  This tree is native to Western North Carolina where I live.  If you want some pretty amazing fruit and love to support native wildlife, plant a PawPaw tree and enjoy the fruit one day.


For the love of the trees,
Becky

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