Pawpaw: Asimina triloba
The pawpaw peduncle borer is the only pest that is occasionally an issue, but most years, the damage is light. As for disease, there are none of any significance. Pawpaws are often said to be hardy down to zone 5a, but there is some evidence that many of them can handle temperatures down to zone 4a, at least when they are established. Regardless, they require a fairly long grow season to ripen the fruit (at least 4 months from bloom), and only the earliest ripening varieties should be attempted near their northern limit. Pawpaws require minimal effort to manage, but they are best grown in a climate that is relatively wet. They also bloom quite late, which helps them avoid frost damage.
NOTE: Do not consume pawpaws that have been heated in any way. It has a habit of making people sick.
NOTE: Do not consume pawpaws that have been heated in any way. It has a habit of making people sick.
Allegheny
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🥑
• early
Fruit
• 125g at KSU, 8% seed
• milder flavor
• milder flavor
Allegheny may produce an overabundance of small fruit, which can be avoided with fruit thinning (pawpaws generally do not produce enough to require thinning).
Cantaloupe
Discovered in Richmond, Kentucky.
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• early-mid? ◦ later than Honey Dew and Marshmallow.
Fruit
• ~300g, freestone
Halvin
Discovered in southwestern Iowa near the city of Bedford.
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• mid ◦ 2 to 3 weeks after Shenandoah
Fruit
• large, 227g+
The description of one nursery claims that Halvin ripens very early, but the only report I have seen on it was quite contradicting.
Honey Dew
Discovered in Richmond, Kentucky.
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• early-mid? ◦ somewhere between Marshmallow and Cantaloupe.
Fruit
• ~275g, freestone
Kentucky Champion
Zone
• 5a (4)
Blooms
💮
• ◦ may benefit from having another early ripening variety for pollination
Ripens
🥑
• early?
Color
• yellow-orange flesh
Growth
• vigorous
Fruit
• large, possibly an average of 230g with 8% being seed
Yield
• moderately productive
KSU Atwood
Originated in Maryland, introduced in Kentucky (2009).
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• early-mid?
Fruit
• 120g at KSU, 8% seed
Yield
• highly productive
The flesh of the Atwood pawpaw can ripen very unevenly under certain circumstances. It's not entirely known what causes this, but exceptionally hot weather may be at least partially responsible.
KSU Benson
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• early-mid?
Fruit
• fairly round in shape
Yield
• highly productive
KSU-Benson is mentioned for being an "early season ripening variety", but it gives me no details for a proper comparison.
Mango
Selected from the wild in Tifton, Georgia (1970).
Zone
• 5a (4)
Blooms
💮
• late
Ripens
🥑
• early-mid ◦ 1 to 1.5 weeks after Shenandoah
Fruit
• mushy
Mango has a relatively mushy texture some people do not like, but the flavor is generally considered to be good.
Pawpaws tend to grow fairly slow, but Mango and Chappell currently appear to be the fastest growing trees out of all the named varieties (Potomac and Nyomi's Delicious may rival them to some degree).
There is not much out there about the average weight of its fruit or the productivity of the tree, but based on what I have seen, I'd say that it's around 150g with at least average productivity.
Pawpaws are considered to have tropical-like flavors, with mango occasionally being one of them (according to others), but the 'Mango' variety doesn't appear to have much of a mango flavor, if it does at all, so its name is quite deceiving.
Maria's Joy
Davis x Prolific. Developed in Indiana.
Zone
• 5a (4)
Fruit
• large, 227g+
There was a point when Maria's Joy seemed to have the edge over the other varieties, and maybe it still does in terms of praise, but I am not sure if it deserves to be the only variety with a purple symbol.
Marshmallow
Discovered in Richmond, Kentucky.
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• early-mid? ◦ earlier than Cantaloupe and Honey Dew.
Fruit
• ~250g, seeds may be around 7% of the weight, freestone
Yield
• highly productive
Marshmallow is the sweetest of the three freestone varieties (the others being Cantaloupe and Honey Dew).
NC-1
Davis x Overleese. Ontario, Canada (1976).
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• early-mid
Growth
• exceptionally dark green leaves for a pawpaw
Fruit
• 180g at KSU
• stronger flavor
• stronger flavor
Yield
• below average production
I occasionally see high praise for NC-1, which is a bit unusual considering how old the variety is, but its flavor is said to be quite strong. Pawpaws are already quite rich, and some people will not care for this trait.
NC-1 supposedly ripens in late September to early-mid October in relatively northern climates like Northeastern Illinois and southeastern Vermont.
high acetogenin content
Overleese
Selected from the wild in Rushville, Indiana (1950).
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• early-mid? (mid)
Fruit
• 170g at KSU
• milder flavor
• milder flavor
Yield
• appears to be a light producer most years
Overleese has a milder flavor than most other varieties, much like its more popular offspring Shenandoah.
high acetogenin content
Pennsylvania Golden
Seed originated in Amherst, New York.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🥑
• early
Fruit
• 110g at KSU, 8% seed
While PA Golden appears to be quite productive due to the exceedingly large number of fruit that it produces, it has a fairly low pulp to skin ratio, meaning that its true productivity (total flesh weight) could be quite average.
Fruit thinning may greatly benefit PA Golden, but this variety is, overall, falling out of favor and should probably be avoided.
Potomac
Developed in Boyce, Virginia.
Alias
• zone: 4-2
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• mid? (mid-late) ◦ slightly later than Susquehanna?
• precocious?
• precocious?
Fruit
• 235g at KSU, 4% seed
• stronger flavor
• stronger flavor
Afflictions
• Somewhat susceptible to cracking.
Potomac is more upright, less spreading, and supposedly grows faster than most others. The flavor is somewhere on the stronger side as well.
low acetogenin content
Prolific
Selected (from the wild?) in Bellevue, Michigan (mid 1980's).
Zone
• 5a (4)
Fruit
• inferior quality
Some pawpaw varieties can have a bitter aftertaste, and Prolific appears to be one of the worst offenders.
Rappahannock
Developed in Boyce, Virginia. Patented in 2004.
Alias
• 8-58
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• mid
Color
• green-yellow skin
Fruit
• 95g at KSU, 6% seed
Yield
• moderately productive
Rappahannock is fairly unique in that its leaves are held in a horizontal fashion and its fruit may display a more yellowish color when they start to ripen.
Rebecca's Gold
Originated in Bellevue, Michigan (1974).
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• very late
Fruit
• inferior quality
Rebecca's Gold has a fairly poor reputation when it comes to flavor. The term "watered down" is sometimes used.
Shenandoah
A seedling of Overleese. Originated in Maryland.
Alias
• 1-7-1
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🥑
• early-mid? ◦ roughly 0 to 1.5 weeks before Overleese
• precocious
• precocious
Fruit
• 150g at KSU, 7% seed
• milder flavor
• milder flavor
Yield
• at least moderately productive
Shenandoah is considered to have one of the mildest flavors for a pawpaw, but this is not necessarily a negative. Some people have a strong preference for this trait, since pawpaws are quite rich in nature.
Summer Delight
Overleese x Sunflower?
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• very early ◦ late July to early August in Kentucky.
• around 3.5 to 4 months to ripen after bloom.
• around 3.5 to 4 months to ripen after bloom.
Summer Delight may be the earliest ripening Pawpaw variety, but the tree could take 4-5 years to fruit. 3-4 years is about average within its native range. Some take 6+ years in colder or drier climates.
Sunflower
Selected from the wild in Chanute, Kansas (1970).
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• mid-late?
Fruit
• 155g at KSU
Yield
• at least moderately productive
Sunflower is an old variety that is somewhat prone to having a bitter aftertaste, but it may only be detectable in some fruit and vary in significance by year. In-spite of this, it is still considered to have good flavor, but Sunflower is probably falling out of favor now with all of the new and improved varieties coming out.
Nurseries often mention Sunflower for being self-fertile, but I have not seen anyone personally confirm this, which makes me quite suspicious considering how common it is.
low acetogenin content
Susquehanna
Developed in Boyce, Virginia. Patented 2004.
Alias
• 11-5
Zone
• 5a (4)
Blooms
💮
• mid-late?
Ripens
🥑
• mid? (mid-late) ◦ roughly 3 weeks after Shenandoah?
• after Wabash
• after Wabash
Fruit
• 185g at KSU (200g+ elsewhere), 4% seed
• firmer than a ripe avocado
• firmer than most varieties (if not all)
• stronger flavor
• firmer than a ripe avocado
• firmer than most varieties (if not all)
• stronger flavor
Yield
• lightly productive
Reports about the Susquehanna pawpaw tree imply that it is relatively vulnerable to some kind of affliction that occasionally, or even frequently, shortens its lifespan by a fairly significant amount.
The flavor of Susquehanna is on the stronger side, but it is well-liked by those who do not mind this trait. The fruit, however, was tested to have a high acetogenin content in one study.
Tropical Treat
Selected from the wild in Kentucky (2010).
Zone
• 5a (4)
Color
• green-yellow skin
Fruit
• 180g+, up to 6" long
Yield
• at least moderately productive
Wabash
Developed in Boyce, Virginia.
Alias
• 1-7-2
Zone
• 5a (4)
Ripens
🥑
• mid ◦ before Susquehanna
Color
• yellow-orange flesh
Fruit
• 185g at KSU
• stronger flavor
• stronger flavor
Yield
• at least moderately productive
Afflictions
• Somewhat susceptible to cracking.
low acetogenin content
Wells
Selected from the wild in Salem, Indiana (1990).
Zone
• 5a (4)
Blooms
💮
• mid-late? (late)
Ripens
🥑
• mid-late?
Fruit
• 105g at KSU, 128g elsewhere
Yield
• low to moderate production, possibly depending on location
Wells is an older variety that is rarely mentioned, but I keep it here because one study indicated that it has a low acetogenin content. You are likely better off with Potomac or Wabash though, since they are newer varieties that share the same quality. They aren't very popular yet, but sentiment behind them has been positive.