PAW PAW (Asimina triloba L. Dunal)
The fruit of the native Americans
THE ORIGINS
The Paw Paw is a shrub native to northeastern America belonging to the Annonaceae family.
Inside the genus to which belongs the Asimina triloba is the only species diffused in temperate climate regions when the others are geographically distributed in the sub-tropical belt. The Paw Paw is the largest spontaneous fruit native to North America: it grows in the lush forests of 25 states of the eastern United States, from southern Ontario to northern Florida.
THE PLANT
The Paw Paw is a plant which evolved in a temperate-cold climate such as that of North America, it is not surprising how it has easily adapted to our climates. It resists to low winter temperatures passing to the vegetative resting stage defoliating as the most common fruit plants originating from temperate-cold climates. Up to now there are no known parasites that attack the Paw Paw plant so there is no need to operate any treatment with plant protection products.
THE FLOWERS
In April the flowering takes place. The flowers, hermaphrodite, develop from axillary buds carried by one-year branches; they are composed of three green sepals and six brown-reddish petals. Given their colour they are not visited by common pollinating insects such as bees and bumblebees and attract only a few flies and beetles. The pollination, therefore, is left to the action of the wind that distributes the pollen on the other flowers. Usually, the male portion of the female portion matures first, so the flowers cannot pollinate themselves. In addition, most varieties of Paw Paw are not self-fertile, so an exchange of pollen between two or more plants is necessary to produce the fruit.
THE LEAVES
After flowering, the Paw paw emits its vigorous foliage.
Of bright green colour, the leaves of the Paw Paw are on average 15 to 20 cm long and 8 to 12 cm broad, of obovate shape. The characteristic arrangement of the foliage gives the Paw Paw plant its typical posture of considerable ornamental and decorative value.
THE FRUITS
It’s September when the Paw Paw ripens. Of dimensions between the 8 and the 12 cm of length and the 4-5 of width, the fruit has an elongated shape, with opaque green skin that when ripe, especially if exposed to the sun’s rays, becomes almost yellow-green. The fruit when ripe, spontaneously detaches from the tree and is ready to be consumed.
The skin, very thin, is easily separated from the pulp, which contains some large flat seeds.
The pulp is yellowish white; dense and creamy, has a very intense and exotic scent and an incredible taste.
Native Americans considered the fruit of the Paw Paw a miraculous food and appreciated it also from the pharmacological point of view, as well as dietary. In fact, analyzing the content of the pulp we see how it is modestly caloric and how rich in very important active ingredients.
Its contribution in proteins and essential amino acids makes it suitable for those who follow a vegetarian diet, but it is the content in mineral salts to make it valuable for everyone: calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, are fundamental elements for our psychophysical balance.
OUR PLANTS OF PAW PAWS
Thanks to the selection made at our nurseries we obtained a variety of Paw Paw of extreme adaptability and rusticity called Georgia. It differs above all for its autofertility, that is the characteristic for which its flowers pollinate with each other so there is no need to plant more than one plant to obtain the production of fruits, but also for the uniformity of size and productivity almost constant and not to alternate years.
The plants we sell are grafted only with our Georgia variety and are grown in pots to minimize the drawbacks of transplantation. You can request the price by message or email.
To know in detail the availability of plants ready for sale please contact us by e-mail at vivai.bella@gmail.com