Asimina parviflora
{{Short description|Species of tree}}
{{speciesbox
| image = Asimina parviflora.jpg
| genus = Asimina
|status = LC
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|status_ref = {{cite journal |author=Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) |author2=IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group|name-list-style=amp |title=Asimina parviflora |journal=The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |volume=208 |at=e.T143321751A143321753. |publisher=IUCN |year=2019 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T143321751A143321753.en|doi-access=free }}
| species = parviflora
| authority = (Michaux) Dunal
}}
Asimina parviflora, the smallflower pawpaw, is a small to medium shrub in the custard apple family.
A. parviflora hybridizes readily with A. triloba to form Asimina ×piedmontana.{{Cite journal |last=Horn |first=Charles |date=December 2015 |title=A New Hybrid of Asimina (Annonaceae) Based on Morphological and Ecological Data |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299414542 |journal=Newberry Collage}}
Distribution
It is native to the Southeastern United States, where it is found from Texas to Virginia. It is found most often in sandy areas, alluvial areas, and dry woods.[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500179 Flora of North America]
Description
Asimina parviflora has maroon, fleshy flowers in the spring. It produces an edible fruit, although the fruit is smaller than of its relative Asimina triloba, the pawpaw tree.{{Cite web|url=http://www.carolinanature.com/trees/aspa.html|title=Smallflower Pawpaw (Asimina parviflora)|website=www.carolinanature.com}}
Its pollen is shed as permanent tetrads. Small-flower pawpaws are found further south than common pawpaws, and form shrubs rather than trees, with most plants ranging in height from one to three feet, with only a few getting taller. The flowers are usually smaller than two centimeters in size. The flowers begin as brown buds, then swell to green immature flowers, and turn burgundy or brown when fully mature. They reach up to 3 inches in length.{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2014 |title=Asimina parviflora |url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASPA18 |website=Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center}}
The leaves are usually a dark green, and smooth in texture.Walker JW (1971) Pollen Morphology, Phytogeography, and Phylogeny of the Annonaceae. Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University, 202: 1-130. They are alternately arranged, and are simple, oblanceolate to oblong, or obovate in shape. They can reach up to 8 inches in length.
Ecology
= Habitat =
A. parviflora is found most commonly in environments with loamy or moist sands, such as woodland slopes, floodplains, and hardwood forests.{{Cite journal |last=Thapa Magar |first=Srijana |last2=Pomper |first2=Kirk W. |last3=Lowe |first3=Jeremiah |last4=Crabtree |first4=Sheri |date=May 2025 |title=Impact of Self- and Cross-pollination on Fruit and Seed Set in Pawpaw in Kentucky |url=https://journals.ashs.org/view/journals/hortsci/60/5/article-p771.xml |journal=HortScience |volume=60 |issue=5 |pages=771–774 |doi=10.21273/HORTSCI18437-24 |issn=0018-5345}}
= Phenology =
The flowers of A. parviflora are in bloom from February to May, but some individuals have been observed to be flowering in June.Nelson, G. PanFlora: Plant data for the eastern United States with emphasis on the Southeastern Coastal Plains, Florida, and the Florida Panhandle. www.gilnelson.com/PanFlora/ Accessed: 11 July 2025
Cultural uses
The fruit of A. parviflora is edible, often used in baking or eaten raw.Fernald, et al. 1958. Edible Plants of Eastern North America. Harper and Row Publishers, New York.
The seeds of the fruit can be used medicinally, able to induce vomiting or function as a head lice remedy when powdered. Additionally, juice made from the fruit of A. parviflora has been used as a treatment for intestinal worms.{{Cite book |last=Burrows |first=George E. |title=Toxic plants of North America |last2=Tyrl |first2=Ronald J. |date=2001 |publisher=Iowa State University Press |isbn=978-0-8138-2266-2 |edition=1st |location=Ames}}
Gallery
File:Asimina parviflora leave.jpg|Leaf
File:Asimina parviflora flower.jpg|Flower
File:Asimina parviflora fruit.jpg|Fruit
File:Asimina parviflora bush.jpg|Bush
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{commonscat-inline|Asimina parviflora}}
- [http://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile?symbol=aspa18 USDA Plants Profile for Asimina parviflora (smallflower pawpaw)]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q15399477}}