paw P \\\ 

 Asimina triloba (!■■> Dunal 



l he Pan pan Family 



Habit and Habitat: \ tall shrub or low t: imetimea reachi 



a height of 30-40 feet, but usually much smaller, with a straight trunk 



which rarely e - l foot in diameter, usually much less, tin- small, 

 spreading branches and slender twigs form a more or loss irregular, 

 bushy crown, or when isolated, developing a pyramidal crown; com- 

 monly growing in thickets where it occupies the ground to the ■ 



elusion of all other woody plants, or scattered as undergrowth in the 

 for< Prefers deep, rich, moist, loamy soil along streams and in 



river bottom-lane 



Leaves and Hud-: Leaves alternate, simple, obovate-lanceolate, 



1 inches long, 1-6 inches wide, abruptly pointed at the apex, gradually 

 and regularly narrowed to a long:, wedge-shaped base, margin entire or 

 merely wavy, as they unfold from the bud they are rusty-hairy beneath 

 and somewhat hairy above, but at maturity they are smooth and light 



green above, paler beneath. Buds small, flattened, acuminate or blunt, 

 % inch long:, brown, covered with rusty-brown hairs. 



Flowers and Kruits: Flowers appearing in April with the lea\ 

 Perfect, solitary, axillary, often nearly 2 inches wide when fully open, 

 on stout, hairy pedicels. 1-1 1 - inches long:, covered with scattered, rustv- 

 brown hairs, sepals •"'>. ovate, acuminate, pale green, densely hairy on 

 the outer surface, petals *>. in two series, green at first, becoming: brown, 

 the outer petals finally deep, reddish-purple and very conspicuously 

 veiny, very broad, rounded or pointed at the apex, turned back from about 

 the middle, 2-"» times as long: as the sepals, stamens many, densely packed 

 in a g:lobular mass in the center of the flower. Fruit a large, fleshy. 

 berry-like structure, oval to cylindrical, straight or slig:htly curved. 

 blunt or pointed at the apex. 2--"> inches long:, 1-1V4 inches in diameter, 

 gr een ish-yellow or at maturity brownish or black when fully ripe in 

 September or October, with a thin skin and a thick, translucent, sweet 

 and luscious flesh containing; several large, flat, wrinkled, brown seeds, 

 1 inch long: and about V4 inch wide, with rounded ends. 



Bark. Twigs and Wood: Bark dark brown and marked by a large, 

 ashen Hotches and small wart-like protuberences. divided by shall' 

 irregular fissures into broad, net-like plates, twigs lig:ht brown, tinged 

 with red and marked by shallow grooves which are more or less parallel 

 Of netted, inner bark toug:h and fibrous. Wood ligrht. soft. weak, coarse- 

 irrained. sponey. pale greenish-yellow, with thin sapwood, of no com- 

 mercial importance 



Distribution in the State: Pawpaw is common throughout south* 



and eastern United States south of New Y<>rk and as far w« t\ 

 ward as the Missouri fore*ts from which it has moved up the river 

 valleys to southeastern Nebraska and into Richardson. Pawn.- Nem- 

 aha. Otoe and Saunders counties where it is frequently seen in its 

 typical habitat>. Map 35. 



Remarks: Th« j handsome folia Are and beautiful larire flowers of 

 the pawpaw, together with its curious fruits have made this B] 

 rrore or less popular as an ornamental tree. The fruits an very fra 

 ^nt, delicious and nutritious when ripe, but some people do not like 

 them. 



— Ill 



