It’s time for our monthly tree feature, and this month we have chosen to place the spotlight on the Pawpaw tree. As with most of the trees we include in our “Tree of the Month” posts, the Pawpaw is a tree that is quite common in our region. Below are some interesting facts about this tree.
- The Pawpaw’s scientific name is Asimina triloba.
- It is a tree that grows slowly and generally ranges in size from that of a large shrub to a small tree, up to 30 feet in height.
- The leaves of a Pawpaw are usually between 6 and 12 inches long, 3 to 5 inches wide, and turn to a yellow hue in the fall.
- Pawpaws flower between the months of March and May, with flowers appearing prior to the leaves. The flowers are green in color to brownish-purple on the outer petals.
- This tree typically grows in densely shaded, moist areas like ravines, valleys, and along streams.
- Pawpaw extract has been used in experimental cancer therapy.
- The fruit of the Pawpaw is often referred to as the Ozark banana.
You can learn more about the common trees that are native to our region by checking out the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Fifty Common Trees of Missouri pamphlet for more information.
Image 1 from Fruit.cornell.edu; Image 2 from Phyzome / Wikimedia Commons under the GNU Free Documentation License.