Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Magnoliids: Magnoliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Asimina triloba
FAMILY
Annonaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Learn more about Common Pawpaw from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Asimina triloba
FAMILY
Annonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Asimina triloba
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 081-01-002:
Asimina triloba FAMILY Annonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Asimina triloba
COMMON NAME:
Common Pawpaw, Indian-banana
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Trees You Want to Know (Peattie, 1934); illustration by F.A. Michaux dcp34_p37
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Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_386
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_astr_001_lvd
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_astr_010_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm090221_066
February Richland County SC
Congaree National Park
Terminal bud naked, flattened, and covered with rusty red hairs, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Ben Geer Keys bgk142_a
April
Outer 3 petals twice the length of the inner 3; stamens in a compact spiral, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm090412_026
April Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm170408__489
April Laurens County SC
Sumter National Forest: Tyger Ranger District
After open awhile, anthers release pollen & flowers become functionally male, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
)
JK Marlow jkm170408_488
April Laurens County SC
Sumter National Forest: Tyger Ranger District
Usually with a single, straight trunk, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm190423_7630
April Pickens County SC
Jocassee Gorges
Newly opened flowers have shiny stigmas receptive to pollen, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
)
JK Marlow jkm200411_3735
April Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
Flowering peduncles (10)15-20(25)mm long, the hairs dark reddish-brown, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
Keith Bradley kab_asimina_triloba_4800
April Richland County SC
Congaree National Park
)
Keith Bradley kab_asimina_triloba_4819
April Richland County SC
Congaree National Park
)
Keith Bradley kab_asimina_triloba_4843
April Richland County SC
Congaree National Park
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_a_triloba_pawpaw_2
April
Leaves glabrous or glabrate above at maturity, usually rusty pubescent beneath, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Ron Lance rwl142_a
April
Flowers 3/4-2" across with pedicels more than 1/2" long, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow s050710_g
July Fayette County WV
Canyon Rim Visitors Center
Leaf blades obovate, 6-12" long (generally larger than A. parviflora), per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
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JK Marlow jkm0308t_35
August Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
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Stephanie C. Brundage scb_081821blairsville25
August Union County GA
Georgia Mountain Research & Education Center, University of Georgia
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_081821blairsville26
August Union County GA
Georgia Mountain Research & Education Center, University of Georgia
)
Will Stuart wil_9600460784_4852e1ff21
August Mecklenburg County NC
West Branch Greenway
Fruit a large berry, oblong to cylindrical, fleshy, edible, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_a_triloba_9305_4
September
)
Sam Pratt sbp_2772
September Spartanburg County SC
In cultivation
Large (2-5" long) fleshy fruits with yellowish-green to brown skin, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
)
Sam Pratt sbp_2821
September Spartanburg County SC
In cultivation
Fruits enclose a custard-like pulp with several large flat seeds, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
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JK Marlow jkm151113_724
November Edgefield County SC
Sumter National Forest: Edgefield Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm201107_8120
November Greenville County SC
Ashmore Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm201107_8126
November Greenville County SC
Ashmore Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm221103_0560
November Pickens County SC
Nine Times Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm221103_0561
November Pickens County SC
Nine Times Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm221103_0563
November Pickens County SC
Nine Times Preserve
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Asimina triloba
FAMILY
Annonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Asimina triloba
FAMILY
Annonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Asimina triloba
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 081-01-002:
Asimina triloba
FAMILY
Annonaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Asimina triloba
142
Tree
Perennial
Habitat: alluvial forests, other moist, nutrient-rich forests, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (rare in GA Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
Petioles 5-10mm long
FLOWER:
Spring
Purplish-brown, burgundy
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
6 petals (usually)
Many stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Yellowish-green/ Brownish
Berry
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p062
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p278
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p038
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p223
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p281
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p108
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p054
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p060
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p070
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p240
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p128
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p085
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p028
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p30
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p274
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p067
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