The common pawpaw (Asimina triloba (L), Dunal) is a small tree with droopy leaves that bears North America's largest native edible fruit. The name is also spelled papaw, and 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. Its fruit has a flavor somewhat similar to both banana and mango.
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.
In recent years it has attracted renewed interest, particularly among organic growers as a native fruit which has few pests and does not require a lot of pesticides to cultivate.
The flowers are self incompatible, requiring cross pollination, and at least two different varieties of plants are needed as pollenizers. The flowers produce an odor similar to rottingmeat 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.
