How to Plant Pawpaw Seeds

Patience is key to producing these much-beloved native fruit trees.

By Andrew Weidman
Updated on January 2, 2025
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by Andrew Weidman

Where Do Pawpaws Grow?

If you live in eastern North America, from southern Ontario to northern Florida and as far west as Nebraska, you’ve likely been hearing lots of buzz about foraging pawpaws. You might even know of someone who has a pawpaw patch of their own. My son’s friend still talks about the day they met the “Pawpaw Wizard,” a bearded older gentleman gathering pawpaws and handing them out to anyone hiking through. But what the heck is a pawpaw, anyway?

The word “pawpaw” acts a bit like a club pin, a cryptic handshake, or, more appropriately, a secret password. Say it in conversation, and you’ll either get a knowing look and instant conversation or a bewildered “Say what, now?”

Pawpaw Tree Identification & Foraging

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Practically speaking, a pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a large, green-skinned fruit with cream-colored to bright-yellow, soft, pulpy flesh, and 8 to 10 large, hard seeds per fruit. The pulp tastes a lot like a ripe banana mixed with mango or muskmelon, and even with a hint of vanilla or nutmeg. If you get the chance to sample one, don’t eat the skin or seeds; the skin is tough, leathery, and bitter-tasting, and both contain some toxic compounds. The flesh, however, is safe to eat and is a major source of vitamin C, magnesium, iron, manganese, and a suite of other minerals.

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