Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a native tree found in the shaded woodlands of Maryland. In a garden, you can grow it in a fair amount of sun as long as the soil doesn’t get too dry. It grows great in clay soil and deer don’t browse the foliage! It has interesting burgundy flowers in the spring, edible fruits, and golden fall color. It can sucker, which means you might get sprouts coming up from the root system to form a colony. If you want it to fruit, plant two trees for cross-pollination. Pawpaw is a host plant for the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly and other insects.
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