Paw Paw

DESCRIPTION: The Paw Paw is a small under-story tree 10 to 30 ft tall. The tree requires a lot of shade as a sapling but grows tall and healthy in full sun as a mature tree. Unless it is cultivated, however, the Paw Paw does not usually get the benefit of full sun. The bark is grey and smooth for at least five years and may get rougher as it gets older. The branches near the top of the tree grow opposite/parallel to each other and often remind me of a creature's rib cage. The lower limbs have more of an alternate swirl trunk placement in the larger/older trees.

The leaves, often described as tropical in appearance, are smooth and single lobed. Grab a leaf and crumble it in your hands. It has a distinctive odor, different from other vegetation. The smell of the crushed leaves reminds me and others of petroleum products.

In Spring, about the same time morels appear, the tree produces very unique maroon/dark red flowers that face towards the ground (upside down). The flowers' petals are in two sets of three (Triloba). The flowers are not pollinated by bees, but by beetles and carrion flies that are attracted to meat. (It is said that the flowers' scent is reminiscent of rotting meat !? I have not noticed the flower smell yet.) I read somewhere that a Paw Paw farmer threw roadkill into his trees to make sure his trees were pollinated by the flies for optimal fruit production.

The un-ripe fruit is described as light green and kidney-shaped. In mid to late September, the fruit will ripen and turn from green to a pale yellow with blotchy brown spots. The fruit season is very short, about two weeks. They can range from about a quarter-pound to about a pound in weight. The fruit has a white to light orange-colored flesh. The seeds are fairly large, dark brown, and typically 4 to 8 in each fruit.

EDIBLE: The fruit flesh is the only edible part. It has a really great flavor when RIPE. The fruit is ripe when it's soft and somewhat squishy and has a slightly darker orange flesh. Do not pull the fruit from the tree, it probably won't be ripe. The freshly fallen ripe fruit is good for eating. I like to give the tree a gentle shake in order to get ripe Paw Paw fruits to drop.

Nutrition: Vitamins: C, A, thiamine, niacin, riboflavin.Minerals: manganese, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, and copper. The fruit is a good source of fat and protein.

Medicine: Native Americans ground the seeds to powder and used the powder as an insect repellent. They would also put the powder on their bedding and hair to deter lice.

Notes: My uncle Bill taught me about this tree in the early 1980s. I spent the next 30+ years causally trying to find its fruit while hiking (tips, tricks, and seasonal knowledge are almost required in finding the fruit). I did not notice the fruit until 2019. I saw fallen fruit in the street in a hidden neighborhood on the outskirts of my town. Once I found the tree as an adult and learned its secrets, I found thousands of trees almost everywhere, including my own neighborhood. The fruit on the tree is often invisible to amateur Paw Paw hunters. I've walked past several that were literally in my face, but there is such a strong banana, fermenting fruit smell in the forest that I knew they were nearby. Unlike other fruits that can ripen in the window sill after harvest, Paw Paw does not appear to ripen post-harvest. The flavor is unique, a mix of banana, mango, pineapple, and peaches with a custard mouth feel. Each fruit is ripe only a couple of days before it goes bad, they have a very short shelf life. Refrigeration or freezing may slow the ripping process down. Scoop the flesh with a spoon and freeze it for longer storage. Do research into Paw Paw bread or ice cream. Discard the peel/skin as it will give you severe diarrhea. Pure white or greenish flesh is not ripe. Only mature, 6-8+ -year-old trees produce fruit. The larger older tree seems to make larger tastier fruit.

Transplanting saplings likely won't work. The long taproots are very fragile. If you'd like to grow some, seeds may be required. The tree grows in groves of clones, but genetically different trees need to be within 15' or closer to produce fruit.

The Cherokee tribes used the inner bark as a strong fiber to construct fishnets. The Paw Paw is the largest native American fruit.