Pawpaws bloom very early with the earliest forest wildflowers. The blooms are inconspicuous. 1″ to 1 1/4″ in diameter, a deep burgundy red, with a quilted appearance. The fruit is a dull green and blends in well with the foliage. The fruits are hard and have a white flesh until ripe. The flesh, as they ripen, changes from a hard chalky white to golden with a custard consistency. Wildlife find these ripe fruits by their tropical aroma.
Growing from 8′ to 30 ‘ tall, it fits in the low-to-mid levels of the eastern forest structure. The seed takes 45 to 60 days of warmth to produce a radicle (root).; Once the radicle emerges, the seed takes another 45 to 60 days to produce it’s first leaf. The Pawpaw does not produce a cotyledon, it’s first leaf is a true leaf. Growth of the new seedling is very slow, 4″ to 6″ the first year. Once established they grow more rapidly and are bearing age in 4 to 5 years. Read More
