What pawpaw looks like

Size and shape

  • Reaches 10 metres high.
  • Trunk reaches up to 30 centimetres in diameter.

Leaves

  • Green, thin leaves with reddish-brown hairs (15 to 30 centimetres).
  • Smell unpleasant when bruised.

Bark

  • Thin, smooth and dark brown with grey blotches when young.
  • Becomes rough with age.

Flowers

  • Reddish-purple flowers (4 centimeters) grow in clusters.
  • Are attached directly to the stem.
  • Have an unpleasant odour.

Fruit

  • Cylindrical, yellow-green, fleshy berries (up to 12 centimetres) grow individually or in clusters.
  • Each fruit contains several flattened, dark brown seeds.

Where pawpaw is found

Pawpaw is a Carolinian species found in Southwestern Ontario near Lake Erie and in the Niagara Region.

What you need to know to grow pawpaw

  • Moisture: grows best in moist, well-drained soils.
  • Soil: grows best in nutrient-rich soil with acidic to neutral pH.
  • Shade: grows best in part shade.
  • Caution: pawpaw trees are not self-pollinating and have few natural pollinators, which can limit fruit production.

Benefits and uses of pawpaw

Wildlife benefits

Pawpaw fruit is a food source for many species, including:

  • opossum
  • fox
  • squirrel
  • raccoon

Pawpaw trees are the host plant of the zebra swallowtail butterfly.

Commercial uses

Pawpaw fruit can be turned into pulp and used to make:

  • ice cream
  • vinaigrette
  • preserves
  • beer

Fun facts about pawpaw

  • Pawpaw sap contains toxic chemicals that prevent herbivores and insects from eating their leaves.
  • Pawpaw fruit is said to taste like a combination of banana, pineapple and mango.
  • The fruit are the largest of any native tree in North America.
  • The unpleasant smell of the flowers attracts beetles and flies as pollinators.