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Common Pawpaw

Asimina triloba

Found in alluvial forests, other moist, nutrient-rich forests. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

56
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
15–30 feet
Spread
15–30 feet
Light
Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 22.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
March to May
Fruiting season
August to October

Recorded in 94 Virginia counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 204 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Care

  • Avoid permanently wet soil.
Care sources
Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

15CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Asimina

  • Eurytides marcellusZebra Swallowtail
  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Adoneta spinuloidesPurple-Crested Slug
  • Agrius cingulataPink-Spotted Hawkmoth, Sweet Potatoe Caterpillar
  • Apatelodes torrefactaSpotted Apatelodes
  • Choristoneura obsoletanaObsolete Leafroller
  • Dolba hyloeusPawpaw Sphinx
  • Epimecis hortariaTulip-Tree Beauty
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Omphalocera cariosaMoonseed Webworm
Show all 15
  • Omphalocera munroeiAsimina Webworm
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Parasa indeterminaStinging Rose Caterpillar Moth, Rose Slug Caterpillar
  • Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
  • Talponia plummerianaPawpaw Peduncle Borer, Speckled Talponia
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
3BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Asimina

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Annonaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Brown/copper, purple or red
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Dark green
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “March to May” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Brown/copper, purple or red” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Foliage color · “Dark green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox, USDA PLANTS differ) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox, USDA PLANTS differ) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 5a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “15–30 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “15–30 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as

Pawpaw

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources