PLANT NATIVE

Pawpaw, Asimina triloba Height: 20-25’ | Spread: 15-22” | Sun: Part Shade to Full Sun | Water: Medium

The pawpaw grows naturally in the wooded slopes along the Missouri river in extreme southeastern Nebraska. In the garden it is easily grown in average, medium to wet, welldrained soil in full sun to part shade. It will often spread by root suckers to form thickets, so it’s best planted in confined areas where it can form an attractive colony of small trees. Though pawpaws will grow in deep shade, they will be more open, slower-growing and have less flowers and fruiting. Their cup-shaped, purple flowers emerge before the foliage in spring and give way to edible banana-like fruits that mature in October. The fruits can be eaten raw or used in the same way as bananas. The handsome leaves are up to 12” long and slightly drooping for an interesting, tropical look. In late fall the leaves often turn a rich, buttery yellow.

Native plant recommendations from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, plantnebraska.org