Paw Paw Seeds
Asimina triloba
$6.00
Out of stock
How to Germinate:
Pawpaw seeds germinate slowly because they possess dormant embryos and slowly permeable seedcoats. Germination can be improved by placing the seeds in a cool, moist environment for 80 to 100 days. The cool, moist requirement can be met by placing the pawpaw seeds in a moist 50:50 mixture of sand and peat moss and then placing the seeds in the refrigerator. After 80 to 100 days, remove the seeds from the refrigerator and plant in potting soil. Keep the potting soil evenly moist and warm (70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit) until the seeds germinate. Germination of pawpaw seeds tends to be slow and erratic. (source: https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/faq/what-proper-way-germinate-pawpaw-seeds)
Description:
Cold hardy deciduous small tree or large shrub with large tropical looking leaves and tropical tasting fruit. The fruit can be described as resembling small thin mangoes. You do not eat the skin or the large brown seeds, but the pulp is white to yellow, creamy, and smooth and tastes like a mix of vanilla pudding or bananas with hints of mango and pineapple - very tropical!
(Chilled Paw Paws are the BEST!)
Some areas of the world also call the papaya a pawpaw, but the papaya is a true tropical fruit tree, and not related.
The Earliest documented mention of the pawpaw is a 1541 report from conquistador Hernando de Soto's expedition where they found Native Americans cultivating the plant.
Chilled pawpaw was a favorite dessert of George Washington.
Thomas Jefferson grew pawpaws at Monticello.
Pawpaws are the larval host of the zebra swallowtail butterfly, but the caterpillars usually do not inflict much damage to the plant.
DESIGNING WITH THIS PLANT
Hardiness Zone: 4-8
Plant Type: Small Tree or Large Shrub
Leaf Type: Deciduous (large 8-12 inch dark green leaves that turn yellow in the fall)
Forest Garden Use: Tree or Understory Tree/Large Shrub
Pollination:
Needs cross-pollination from another variety for best fruit production.
Pawpaws are pollinated by flies.
Flowering: May - June
Years to Begin Bearing: 4-6 years