Tropical Treat

A Late-Season Pawpaw Fruit with Perfect Flavor 

Strengths

• Excellent mild tropical flavor

• Medium/large fruit size

• Good productivity

• Color break at peak ripeness

• Appealing appearance

• Edible before it is completely ripe

Weaknesses

• Very late season ripening

• Not suited for short growing seasons

• Not suited for cooler climates

• Somewhat wispy growth habit

• Somewhat prone to stem-canker

Fruit Description

Tropical Treat is a late-season pawpaw that ripens to a color-break with a flavor that everyone seems to like, even the people that don’t ordinarily like pawpaw fruit.  After the color breaks, the flavor is like a mild tropical vanilla custard. If the color does not break then the fruits will be smaller, seedier and less tasty.  The texture is medium.  Fruits are medium-large averaging about 180-200 grams.  

Pollination and Fruit Bearing

Tropical Treat needs a long-hot growing season. It  pollinates well with other trees, but unfortunately it does not ripen to a color break unless it’s in a climate with about 10 or more summer days in the 90s [more than 32C].  It is a productive tree with up to 100 fruits on it. 

Background

The fruit from this variety has a mild, sweet, dessert-like flavor.  It has been an instant success with many pawpaw newbies including the skeptical ones. The Tropical Treat tree was discovered near the Madison Fair Grounds in Madison County, KY on the property of a restaurant-owner who planted pawpaw seeds that he collected from wild trees in Beattyville, KY.  The exact location will not be disclosed because of privacy concerns for the tree-owner.   

An Additional Footnote from Walker Pawpaws

As the owner of Walker Pawpaws, I must say I have never tasted a better pawpaw fruit than this one IF it can ripen to a color break.  I have heard likewise from two other pawpaw experts that have tried fully-ripened fruit compared side-by-side to other top-varieties.   I describe the flavor as a mellow tropical custard with perhaps a hint of vanilla that is suitable for a Boston-creme pie filling "as-is".  Unfortunately many of the northern locations and the elevations of Appalachia (above about 2,000 ft) do not have the heat units required to ripen this fruit properly. 

Tropical Treat Pawpaw at 0:32

                                                                    Before Color Break (on Left), and after color break (on Right)