Asimina

File:Michel Adanson (1727-1806) crop.png

The genus name Asimina was first described and named by Michel Adanson, a French naturalist of Scottish descent. The name is adapted from a Native American term of unknown origin, assimin,{{cite book |last1=Werthner |first1=William Benjamin |last2=Werthner |first2=Evangeline Hippard |last3=Kienholz |first3=Aaron Raymond |title=Some American trees an intimate study of native Ohio trees |date=1935 |publisher=Macmillan |oclc=681865854 }}{{pn|date=October 2021}} through the French colonial asiminier.{{cite book |last1=Sargent |first1=Charles Sprague |last2=Faxon |first2=Charles Edward |last3=Gill |first3=Mary (Wright) |title=Manual of the trees of North America (exclusive of Mexico) |date=1933 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |oclc=680282467 }}{{pn|date=October 2021}}

The common name (American) pawpaw, also spelled paw paw, paw-paw, and papaw, probably derives from the Spanish papaya, perhaps because of the superficial similarity of their fruits.{{cite journal |last1=Hormaza |first1=José I. |title=The Pawpaw, a Forgotten North American Fruit Tree |journal=Arnoldia |date=July 2014 |volume=72 |issue=1 |pages=13–23 |doi=10.5962/p.253574 |url=http://www.arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/2014-72-1-the-pawpaw-a-forgotten-north-american-fruit-tree.pdf |access-date=2021-10-23 |archive-date=2021-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923035428/http://www.arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/2014-72-1-the-pawpaw-a-forgotten-north-american-fruit-tree.pdf |url-status=dead }}

File:Asimina reticulata flower.jpg

File:Paw Paw blossom.jpg

Pawpaws are shrubs or small trees to {{convert|2|-|12|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall. The northern, cold-tolerant common pawpaw (A. triloba) is deciduous, while the southern species are often evergreen.

The leaves are alternate, obovate, entire, {{convert|20|-|35|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|10|-|15|cm|in|abbr=on}} broad.

The flowers of pawpaws are produced singly or in clusters of up to eight together; they are large, 4–6 cm across, perfect, with three sepals and six petals (three large outer petals, three smaller inner petals). The petal color varies from white to purple or red-brown.

The fruit of the common pawpaw is a large, edible berry, {{convert|5|-|16|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|3|-|7|cm|in|abbr=on}} broad, weighing from {{convert|20|-|500|g|oz|abbr=on}}, with numerous seeds; it is green when unripe, maturing to yellow or brown. It has a flavor somewhat similar to both banana and mango, varying significantly by cultivar, and has more protein than most fruits.{{clear left}}

11 species and several natural interspecies hybrids are accepted.{{cite web |title=Asimina|url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=102827|work=Flora of North America|access-date=28 November 2011}}{{cite web| url = http://bonap.net/NAPA/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Asimina| title = Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution maps, Asimina}}

1. Asimina angustifolia Raf. 1840 not A. Gray 1886 – Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina{{cite web| url = http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Asimina%20angustifolia.png| title = Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution maps, Asimina angustifolia}} Regarded as a synonym of A. longifolia by some authorities.{{ITIS |id=183508 |title=Asimina angustifolia Raf. |access-date=1 November 2022}}
2. Asimina × bethanyensis {{small|DeLaney}}
3. Asimina × colorata {{small|DeLaney}}
4. Asimina incana {{small|(W.Bartram) Exell}} – woolly pawpaw. Florida and Georgia. (Annona incana W. Bartram{{GRIN | Annona incana | 405324 | accessdate = 2008-04-16}})
5. Asimina longifolia {{small|Raf.}} – slimleaf pawpaw. Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.
6. Asimina × kralii {{small|DeLaney}}
7. Asimina manasota DeLaney – Manasota papaw native to two counties in Florida (Manatee + Sarasota); first described in 2010{{cite web|url=http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=4346|title=Asimina manasota - Species Page - ISB: Atlas of Florida Plants}} Not recognized by some authorities.{{ITIS |id=18108 |title=Asimina Adans. |access-date=1 November 2022 }}
8. Asimina × nashii {{small|Kral}}
9. Asimina × oboreticulata {{small|DeLaney}}
10. Asimina obovata (Willd.) Nash) (Annona obovata Willd.) – Flag-pawpaw or Bigflower pawpaw – Florida {{cite web| url = http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ASOB6| title = US Department of Agriculture plants profile, Asimina obovata (Willd.) Nash, bigflower pawpaw }}{{GRIN | Asimina obovata | 403284 | accessdate = 2008-04-16}}
11. Asimina parviflora {{small|(Michx.) Dunal}} – smallflower pawpaw. Southern states from Texas to Virginia.
12. Asimina × peninsularis {{small|DeLaney}}
13. Asimina × piedmontana {{small|C.N.Horn}}
14. Asimina pulchella {{small|(Small) Rehder & Dayton}} – white squirrel banana. Endemic to 3 counties in Florida. (endangered)
15. Asimina pygmaea {{small|(W.Bartram) Dunal}} – dwarf pawpaw. Florida and Georgia.
16. Asimina reticulata {{small|Shuttlw. ex Chapman}} – netted pawpaw. Florida and Georgia.
17. Asimina rugelii {{small|B.L.Rob.}} – yellow squirrel banana. Endemic to Volusia county Florida (endangered)
18. Asimina spatulata (Kral) D.B.Ward – slimleaf pawpaw. Florida and Alabama{{cite web| url = http://www.floraofalabama.org/Plant.aspx?id=314| title = Alabama Plant Atlas, Asimina spatulata}} Regarded as a synonym by some authorities.{{ITIS |id=899232 |title=Asimina spatula (Kral) D.B.Ward |access-date=1 November 2022 }}[https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1184486-2 Asimina spatulata (Kral) D.B.Ward]. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
19. Asimina tetramera {{small|Small}} – fourpetal pawpaw. Florida (endangered)
20. Asimina triloba {{small|(L.) Dunal}} – common pawpaw. Extreme southern Ontario, Canada, and the eastern United States from New York west to southeast Nebraska, and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. (Annona triloba L.{{GRIN | Asimina triloba | 4485 | accessdate = 2008-04-16}})

The common pawpaw is native to shady, rich bottom lands, where it often forms a dense undergrowth in the forest, often appearing as a patch or thicket of individual, small, slender trees.

Pawpaw flowers are insect-pollinated, but fruit production is limited since few if any pollinators are attracted to the flower's faint, or sometimes nonexistent scent. The flowers produce an odor similar to that of rotting meat to attract blowflies or carrion beetles for cross pollination.{{cite web |url=http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/in-awe-of-the-pawpaw/Content?oid=2531240 |title=In Awe of the Pawpaw |author=Guy Hand |date=October 12, 2011 |publisher=Boise Weekly |access-date=3 July 2012 |archive-date=18 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618141557/http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/in-awe-of-the-pawpaw/Content?oid=2531240 |url-status=dead }} Other insects that are attracted to pawpaw plants include scavenging fruit flies, carrion flies and beetles. Because of difficult pollination, some{{who|date=November 2010}} believe the flowers are self-incompatible.

Pawpaw fruit may be eaten by foxes, opossums, squirrels, and raccoons. Pawpaw leaves and twigs are seldom consumed by rabbits or deer.{{cite web|url=http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pawpaw.html|title=PAWPAW Fruit Facts|access-date=2010-10-18|archive-date=2011-07-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720235418/http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pawpaw.html|url-status=dead}}

The leaves, twigs, and bark of the common pawpaw tree contain natural insecticides known as acetogenins.{{cite journal |last1=Sampson |first1=Blair J. |last2=McLaughlin |first2=Jerry L. |last3=Wedge |first3=David E. |title=Paw paw extract as a botanical insecticide, 2002 |journal=Arthropod Management Tests |date=1 January 2003 |volume=28 |issue=1 |page=L5 |doi=10.1093/amt/28.1.L5 |doi-access=free }}

Larvae of the zebra swallowtail butterfly feed exclusively on young leaves of the various pawpaw species, but never occur in great numbers on the plants.{{cite web| url = http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pawpaw.html| title = California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. 1996,1999, "Pawpaw: Asimina triloba, Annonaceae"| access-date = 2010-10-18| archive-date = 2011-07-20| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110720235418/http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pawpaw.html| url-status = dead}}

The pawpaw is considered an evolutionary anachronism, where a now-extinct evolutionary partner, such as a Pleistocene megafauna species, formerly consumed the fruit and assisted in seed dispersal.{{cite journal |last1=Boone |first1=Madison J. |last2=Davis |first2=Charli N. |last3=Klasek |first3=Laura |last4=del Sol |first4=Jillian F. |last5=Roehm |first5=Katherine |last6=Moran |first6=Matthew D. |title=A Test of Potential Pleistocene Mammal Seed Dispersal in Anachronistic Fruits using Extant Ecological and Physiological Analogs |journal=Southeastern Naturalist |date=January 2015 |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=22–32 |doi=10.1656/058.014.0109 |s2cid=86809830 }}

Image:Asimina triloba red fern farm.jpg

Wild-collected fruits of the common pawpaw (A. triloba) have long been a favorite treat throughout the tree's extensive native range in eastern North America. Pawpaws have never been widely cultivated for fruit, but interest in pawpaw cultivation has increased in recent decades. Fresh pawpaw fruits are commonly eaten raw; however, once ripe they store only a few days at room temperature and do not ship well unless frozen.{{Cite web |date=2020 |title=Purdue University FoodLink - Pawpaw |url=https://extension.purdue.edu/foodlink/food.php?food%3Dpawpaw&prmd=ivn&strip=1&vwsrc=0 |website=FoodLink - Purdue Extension}} Other methods of preservation include dehydration, production of jams or jellies, and pressure canning. The fruit pulp is also often used locally in baked dessert recipes,{{cite book |last1=Angier |first1=Bradford |author-link=Bradford Angier |title=Field guide to edible wild plants |date=1974 |publisher=Stackpole Books |isbn=978-0-8117-0616-2 |page=160 |oclc=799792 }} with pawpaw often substituted in a number of banana-based recipes.

The common pawpaw is of interest in ecological restoration plantings, since this tree grows well in wet soil and has a strong tendency to form well-rooted clonal thickets.{{cn|date=March 2023}}

The earliest documentation of pawpaws is in the 1541 report of the Spanish de Soto expedition, who found Native Americans cultivating it east of the Mississippi River. Chilled pawpaw fruit was a favorite dessert of George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson planted it at his home in Virginia, Monticello. The Lewis and Clark Expedition sometimes subsisted on pawpaws during their travels. Daniel Boone was also a consumer and fan of the pawpaw. The common pawpaw was designated as the Ohio state native fruit in 2009.{{Cite news|title=America's forgotten fruit: The native pawpaw tastes like banana and grows close to home. |author=Craig Summers Black |newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor |date=February 4, 2009 |url=http://features.csmonitor.com/gardening/2009/02/04/americas-forgotten-fruit/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090314052335/http://features.csmonitor.com/gardening/2009/02/04/americas-forgotten-fruit/ |archive-date=2009-03-14 }}Ohio Revised Code {{cite web| url = http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/gp5.082| title = Section 5.082 - Ohio Revised Code {{!}} Ohio Laws}} Multiple pawpaw festivals have celebrated the plant and its fruit.

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|Asimina}}

• [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ASIMI USDA distribution of Pawpaw]
• [http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/ Pawpaw Information] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040615085047/http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/ |date=2004-06-15 }} from Kentucky State University
• [https://www.ars-grin.gov/ars/PacWest/Corvallis/ncgr/minor/asiinfo.html Asimina Genetic Resources - Pawpaw]
• [https://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/archive/journal-results.html?offset=1&corpall=all&clark=clark&dateall=day&indmonth=09&indday=18&indyear=1806&numpage=1 Clark's September 18, 1806 journal entry] about pawpaws
• [http://nymf.bbg.org/profile_species_nt.asp?id=188#medicinal Asimina triloba - Brooklyn Botanical Garden] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716084214/http://nymf.bbg.org/profile_species_nt.asp?id=188#medicinal |date=2011-07-16 }}
• [http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/pawpaw.asp Pawpaw Wines] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219205458/http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/pawpaw.asp |date=2011-02-19 }}
• [http://www.ohiopawpawfest.com/ Pawpaw Festival, Athens, Ohio]

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Category:Annonaceae genera

Category:Trees of Northern America

Category:Cuisine of the Southern United States

Category:Taxa named by Michel Adanson

Category:Fruit trees

Category:Crops originating from indigenous Americans