It was a wonderful surprise when we discovered pawpaws growing in the garden. Thank you to the bird or critter that planted them for us. One is budding right now. A characteristic of Asimina reticulata is that the flowers are born on growth of previous season, opening before or with the emergence of current season's leaves When it blooms we will see the showy, 2-3" wide flowers with their creamy white outside and reddish-purple base. The flowers are very fragrant with a strong spicy odor. Blooms first appear in late winter and continue into early spring.
The plant will grow between 1 and 5 feet tall. The leaves are alternate and may reach 3 inches in length. Mature leaves are leathery, oblong, with rounded tips and inrolled margins. The back of leaves has reddish brown hairs. The a net- like pattern of the leaf veins gives rise to the other common name of this plant the Netted Pawpaw. The fruit is a large berry up to almost 3 inches long with sweet, eatable pulp.
The plant is nearly endemic to Florida occurring in flatwoods, sandhills and coastal scrub. In the natural setting it provides significant food and moderate amounts of cover for wildlife. Pawpaws are the larval host plant for Zebra Swallowtail, Eurytides marcellus.
Photo by Denny Girard.
References:
Institute for Systematic Botany, Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants: Asimina reticulata http://www.florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=1258
Institute for Regional Conservation, Natives for Your Neighborhood: Asimina reticulata http://regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/PD_PFriendly.asp?tx=Asimreti
2bnTheWild.com, Wildflowers of the southeastern U.S.: Asimina reticulate
http://www.2bnthewild.com/plants/H430.htm
Featured Creatures: Eurytides marcellus
http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/bfly/zebra_swallowtail.htm