The only temperate-climate member of the tropical custard-apple family, pawpaw counts among its kin such exotic species as the guanabana, the soursop, and the custard apple. The family resemblance is easy to see; pawpaw has lush, foot-long leaves and showy clusters of banana-like fruit that will supply your Georgia garden with tropical flair. Cross-pollination is necessary for fruit set, so you’ll probably want to plant two or more trees. The results are worth the extra effort: Pawpaw fruit has a creamy, custard-like texture and sweet, rich flavor reminiscent of banana, pineapple, and mango.

The luscious (and intensely fragrant) fruit appeals not only to humans but to a host of other mammals, including squirrels, possums, raccoons, gray foxes, and black bears.

Pawpaw leaves are as important to wildlife as the fruit is. Zebra swallowtail butterfly larvae eat only the young foliage of this genus, and adult zebra swallowtails use the undersides of the leaves for night roosting and resting during foul weather.

Family:  Annonaceae (Custard Apple Family)

Description: Large deciduous shrub or small tree with smooth-edged, drooping, elliptical leaves up to 4" wide and 12" long. Bell-shaped maroon flowers appear in early spring, followed by 3 to 5", rounded or oblong fruits ripening in fall. Fall leaf color is golden yellow.

Size: Usually 15 to 20’ high and 15 to 20’ wide. Rarely reaches heights of 40’.

Habit: Develops a dense pyramidal shape in full sun but takes on a looser, more open habit in shade.

Growth Rate: Medium.

Light: Full sun to dense shade.

Planting and Care: For best results, plant small (under 6’) container-grown trees into deep, rich, moist, well-drained soil with a pH of 5 to 7. Cross-pollination is needed for fruit set. Provide a half-day of sun for good fruiting, but protect sensitive seedlings from full sun for the first 2 years.

Ornamental Value: Attributes include maroon flowers in spring, tropical summer foliage, delicious fall fruit, golden fall color, and attractive winter habit.

Landscape Usage: Plant as a specimen in the home orchard or butterfly garden, or allow to naturalize along a stream or woodland edge. Tends to sucker and form colonies in moist areas.

Wildlife Benefits: Larval host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly. Fruits are eaten by numerous mammals, including possums, raccoons, and squirrels.

Native Habitat: Found along floodplains, in rich, moist deciduous forests of the Piedmont and upper Coastal Plain.

Propagation: Stratified seed.

Written by Leslie Kimel, Georgia Wildlife Federation