
A single cluster of Pawpaws 4 natural size. These fruits were a little less than 4 inches 
long and the cluster weighed 13 oz. 
The Pawpaw 
Perhaps you never heard of a Pawpaw. 
Well, if not, it is time you did, and if you 
have not it shows how completely we 
Americans have swallowed European agri- 
culture whole and neglected the things 
that were at our very door. 
The Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a 
fruitful lowland tree that grows from 
New York to Kansas, and from Alabama 
to southern Ontario. If you have a yard 
of any size you should have one in it for 
its sheer beauty. Its compact, firm-look- 
ing corrugated foliage has a dark richness 
not given by any other tree known to me. 
If you get one on your lawn you will cer- 
tainly have something that is unique in 
your neighborhood and unique among 
trees. In addition to its beauty it has a 
fruit which has a certain resemblance to 
the late Theodore Roosevelt—you will 
like it or you will not like it. It is a rival 
to the Persimmon in nutritive quality, 
looks not unlike a banana, and smells 
something like a banana. Its taste—well, 
you will have to taste one to see. Most 
19 
people like it very much. It has a rich 
flavor, a buttery, melting consistency, and 
if you can get enough of them you may get 
into trouble with the scales because it will 
certainly tempt you to eat and grow fat— 
unless you happen to be one of those few 
people who do not like that particular 
flavor. In that case you can make presents 
to your friends. 
The fruits are produced singly, in pairs, 
sometimes in clusters of four or even 
more, and I have seen single fruits as 
much as 6 inches long. 
The tree will probably not grow more 
than 20 or 25 feet high and 10 or 12 feet 
wide. It can stand partial shade such as 
would be furnished by a tall Pecan tree, 
and if you happen to keep a goat you can 
keep him and the Pawpaw tree together 
and they will not hurt each other. For 
some reason not known to us, the foliage 
seems to be abhorred by all domestic 
animals. I have a pasture that is littered 
with Pawpaws. It has been frequented 
by horses, cows, mules, sheep, and Angora 
goats. None of them have touched the 
