Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Pawpaws
There is even a Pawpaw festival located in Ohio... http://www.ohiopawpawfest.com/
* excellent videos found on internet
Asimina angustifolia ( Narrowleaf Pawpaw )
A very rare, small, deciduous shrub, reaching a maximum height of 6 feet, that is native to Georgia and Florida.
The lance-shaped leaves are up to 8 x 1.5 inches in size.
The flowers, up to 0.4 inches across, are white.
They are followed by yellow fruits up to 4 inches in length.
Hardy zones 8 to 9 ( based on native range, may prove hardier with testing ).
Asimina parviflora ( Dwarf Pawpaw )
A rare native to dry sandy woods from Arkansas to Virginia. It is smaller in all its parts than Asimina triloba, forming an attractive, moderate growing, large, deciduous shrub, reaching a maximum size of 12 x 6 feet. Some records include: fastest growth rate - 3 feet.
The leaves are obovate up to 8 x 4 inches.
The yellow flowers are up to 0.6 inches wide.
They are followed by yellow fruits up to 3 inches in length.
Hardy zones 5 to 8, it is very tolerant of heat and drought.
* photos taken on 4th of July 2010 in Washington, D.C.
Asimina triloba ( Common Pawpaw )
A major food crop for the North American Native Indians; this tree is no longer common in most of its native Eastern U.S and is now endangered in Ontario, Canada along the Lake Erie watershed where it grows.
Its natural range is from eastern Nebraska to New York State and PA; south to eastern Texas to Georgia.
Most people never heard of it despite its tasty fruit. In addition the Pawpaw makes an excellent ornamental tree with its large foliage that is tropical in appearance turning to a glowing golden-yellow during autumn.
It is generally left along by insects and diseases.
A small tree; it typically grows to 20 feet though can be much larger on ideal sites. The record for this tree would be 62 x 33 feet with a trunk diameter of 3 feet. In 20 years, the trunk diameter may reach 5 inches.
Typically moderate growing; it can become fast growing on excellent sites and the record growth increase in a year is 6 feet.
The leaves are long, oval, pointed and drooping up to 12 inches in length ( larger leaves up to 15 x 7 inches have been found on trees in the Canard River Valley near Amherstburg, Ontario ).
The luxuriant green foliage turns to rich yellow in autumn.
The leaves in powdered form can be used as an insecticide against aphids and mosquito larvae.
The red-brown spring flowers are up to 2 inches wide and pendulous.
They are borne as the new foliage emerges.
They are followed during autumn with edible, yellowish-brown fruit, up to 5 inches in length, that is sweet and fragrant. The Pawpaw is not self pollinating so male and female trees are needed to produce fruit. I recommend buying this tree in a nursery since in the wild it often reproduces from root sprouts and if they all originate from one tree then you will not have the opposite sex tree needed to produce the fruit ( just think with Hollies you also need both sex plants to get berries )
Trees can bear fruit in as little as 4 years.
The record crop known is 60 pounds of fruit in a year ( if anybody recorded more please send a mail with pictures ). To get a good supply of Pawpaw, you need to grow your own. The soft skinned fruit do not ship well and are rarely seen in markets.
The very nutritious fruit contain Vitamin A & C and also 15% carbohydrates, 5% protein ( alot for a fruit ) and 1% fat.
The fruit can be eaten fresh or cooked and used for preserves, cakes and pies. The pulp can be dried and freezed if later use is desired.
The Pawpaw prefers moist, well drained soil and does not like drought. In the wild it is usually found in the moist undergrowth of mature hardwood forest however it actually grows very well and denser in cultivation in full sun with adequate irrigation the first few years and after during drought. Also grows well in part shade; though deep shade will only yield leaves and no fruit. Hardy from zone 3 to 9. It surprisingly grows well in Wisconsin which is colder than anywhere within its native range. Nursery experimentation reveals that this tree can reach 5 feet in height in 3 months in greenhouses with 15 hours a day light. Care should be taken with transplanting and the Pawpaw is best planted small for quick establishment ( long taproot is brittle making moving a plant taller than 1 foot difficult ). Personally I only seen small potted trees for sale, never ever seeing it ball and burlap. More nurseries are carrying it now with customer request and this is a tree I personally can find and will install if requested. While Home Depot and Lowes do not currently carry it - many native plants sales do sell it and I most certainly do recommend this tree to anyone with a home orchard.
To propagate, stratify the seeds at 40 F for 4 months, then sow in peat tubes as to not disturbe the roots ( they do not like root disturbance incl. transplanting ).
Hardwood and root cuttings can also be used to propagate the Pawpaw.
The fast growing young plants hate hot sunlight so they must be grown in shade. After a few years, they become tolerant of full sun.
* photo taken @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.
* photo taken on May 1 2010 @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.
* photo taken on annual Horticultural Society of Maryland Garden Tour
* photo taken on 4th of July 2010 @ U.S. National Arboretum, D.C.
* photo taken on 4th of July in Washington, D.C.
* photos taken on July 17 2010 @ Morris Arboretum, Philly, PA
* photo taken on August 3 2010 @ University of Guelph Arboretum, Ontario
* photo of unknown internet source
* photo taken on Sep 3 2012 in Columbia, MD
* photo taken on June 23 2013 @ U.S. National Arboretum, Washington, DC
* photo taken on Sep 15 2013 in Howard Co., MD
Oikos Tree Crops article on the Pawpaw
http://bit.ly/cM23Vd
Mango
Large fruit with excellent flavor. Orange-yellow flesh. The fastest growing Pawpaw variety.
Mitchell
Large oval to rounded fruit with golden flesh and excellent flavor. The fruit contains few seeds.
Overleese
Very large fruit with few seeds and yellow-orange flesh. The fruit, borne in clusters or 3 to 5 ripen during mid autumn.
Pennsylvania Golden
The large, yellow fruit with golden-yellow flesh ripen during early autumn.
Taytwo
A cultivar that originated from a wild plant in Michigan, bearing large fruit, up to 10 ounces, that ripen during early October.
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