**Names and Description**:
– Genus named by Michel Adanson
– Name adapted from Native American term
– Commonly known as pawpaw
– Commonly spelled paw paw, paw-paw, or papaw
– Name possibly derived from Spanish papaya
– Pawpaws are shrubs or small trees
– Leaves are obovate, entire, and large
– Flowers produced singly or in clusters
– Fruit is a large, edible berry with numerous seeds
– Flavor of fruit similar to banana and mango
**Species, Distribution, and Ecology**:
– Various species native to different states
– Endemic species found in specific counties
– Some species endangered
– Distribution ranges from Florida to Virginia
– Common pawpaw found in extreme southern Ontario, Canada
– Native to shady, rich bottom lands
– Insect-pollinated with limited fruit production
– Flowers attract blowflies and carrion beetles
– Leaves, twigs, and bark contain natural insecticides
– Larvae of zebra swallowtail butterfly feed on pawpaw leaves
**Cultivation and Uses**:
– Pawpaw often called prairie banana
– Fresh fruits commonly eaten raw
– Interest in cultivation has increased
– Preservation methods include dehydration and canning
– Used in baked dessert recipes and ecological restoration planting
**Taxonomy and Distribution**:
– Asimina triloba is a species in the Annonaceae family.
– Asimina angustifolia is another species in the same family.
– Asimina manasota belongs to the Adansonia genus.
– Asimina obovata, also known as bigflower pawpaw, is part of the Annonaceae family.
– Asimina spatulata, or Asimina spatula, is a species recognized in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
**Research, Publications, and Resources**:
– The Pawpaw is a forgotten North American fruit tree.
– A study on native Ohio trees was conducted in 1935.
– The Manual of the Trees of North America was published in 1933.
– Pawpaw extract has been explored as a botanical insecticide.
– A test on potential Pleistocene mammal seed dispersal using extant ecological and physiological analogs was performed.
– USDA provides information on Asimina obovata.
– Germplasm Resources Information Network has data on Annona incana.
– Alabama Plant Atlas contains details on Asimina spatulata.
– California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. has resources on Asimina triloba.
– Purdue University’s FoodLink offers information on Pawpaw cultivation.