Wilson pawpaw is a hybrid of the American pawpaw in the custard apple family (Annonaceae) and was found growing in the wild in Kentucky. It will grow 15 to 20 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide in a pyramid-shaped form and needs full sun to partial shade in moist well-drained soil. Wilson requires another variety planted nearby for the best fruit production. The brownish-purple flowers appear in spring, followed by edible fruit. The medium to large fruits have a custard texture and a sweet banana-pear flavor. Fall leaf color is a bright yellow. Pawpaw does well in naturalized, riparian, or woodland areas. It is a flowering tree that attracts butterflies, pollinators, small mammals, and songbirds, which makes pawpaw a good addition to a butterfly, pollinator, or rain garden. It is an easy-to-grow fruit tree for children's gardens . Quick ID Hints: Leaves produce a distinctive odor when crushed (similar to green bell peppers). Leaves large, alternate and distichous; they turn yellow in fall. Bark is smooth with wart-like lenticels Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. The pawpaw peduncle borer ( Talponia plummeriana ) is a small moth whose larvae burrow into flower stalks. They can destroy large numbers of flowers. This pest is in NC. The zebra swallowtail butterfly larvae feed on young leaves, but they seldom do permanent damage, nor do they affect fruit yield. Trees can produce root suckers, which can be troublesome in the landscape. VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Asimina triloba .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheAsimina triloba 'Davis'Asimina triloba 'Taylor'Asimina triloba 'Wells'
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Edible; Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12-24 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Multi-stemmed
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblong; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The large oval green leaves turn a brilliant yellow in the fall. Alternate, simple, ovate to oblong, 6-12 inches long, 2-3 inches wide with a green pepper odor when crushed. The leaves are in two ranks and hang pendulously from the stem. The leaf underside is pale and glaucous.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Brown/Copper; Purple/Lavender
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Perfect (but self-incompatible). The brownish-purple flowers bloom in spring but are not showy. They have 6 petals and are 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter. They have a foul odor and are pollinated by flies.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Cream/Tan; Gold/Yellow
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit size
> 3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
Medium to large fruits with a sweet flavor and custard texture. Matures in the fall
Bark color
Light Brown
Bark detail
Smooth, brown splotched with wart-like lenticels.
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Buds are pubescent with no scales. Young buds and stems are cinnamon brown.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Its flowers are pollinated by flies and beetles. Its fleshy fruits are eaten by songbirds, wild turkeys, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, black bears, and foxes. Pawpaws are larval host plants for the Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus).
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Seeds
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Berry
Edibility
The fruit is edible, but peel the fruit and do not consume the seeds.