# @ahs_gardening on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DKu2q4XzcJc
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/55036025-ahs-gardening-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/482ffa1307.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-06-10T19:31:28.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Horticultural Society | American Gardener Magazine (@ahs_gardening) — https://gondola.cc/ahs_gardening

## Caption

🌿 Native Plant of the Week: Pawpaw⁠
(Asimina triloba, Zones 4–8)⁠
⁠
Tropical vibes, woodland roots.⁠
⁠
Pawpaw trees may look like they belong in the rainforest—with their big, droopy leaves and mango-sized fruit—but they’re native to the understory of eastern North America, from Florida to Ontario. ⁠
⁠
Why grow it?⁠
• Spring brings burgundy, bell-shaped flowers⁠
• Fall leaves turn buttery yellow⁠
• Host plant for zebra swallowtail butterflies⁠
• Produces custard-like fruit that tastes like banana-meets-mango⁠
⁠
A few things to know:⁠
• You’ll need two trees for fruit (cross-pollination is a must)⁠
• Flowers attract flies + beetles (but don’t worry, the “smell” is subtle)⁠
• Fruit ripens late summer to fall and was a staple for Indigenous people and European colonists.⁠
• Cultivars like ‘Sunflower’ and ‘Susquehanna’ offer better fruit for home growers⁠
• Some people have allergic reactions to the fruit—start slow if it’s your first time⁠
⁠
Not common in gardens, but definitely worth discovering. (Look for them when hiking in the woods.) ⁠
⁠
📖 Want more? Read “Pawpaw Revival” by Andrew Moore in the May/June 2018 issue of The American Gardener (link in bio or ahsgardening.org/ahs-publication-archives). - Also - check out his book - published by Chelsea Green.  chelseagreenbooks⁠
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📸 Credits: brownthumbel, thekraken, Jamie Myslik, Jim Robbins, AHS Archives⁠
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#NativePlantOfTheWeek #PawpawTree #AsiminaTriloba #GrowNative #AmericanGardener #FruitfulForests #BackyardBotany #ZebraSwallowtailHostPlant⁠

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## Tags

americangardener, backyardbotany, pawpawtree, zebraswallowtailhostplant, asiminatriloba, nativeplantoftheweek, grownative, fruitfulforests

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