I.D this plant - paw paw

I had the local extension services guy come out to property last fri. He walked the property and pointed out a couple trees he said were wild paw paw.

I don't think so. Ive never seen a paw paw but have been looking for a reasonably priced tree to buy and for him to tell me I have several that just magically showed up dosent sound plausible.

Can you identify?

I can get better pict if need be.

Nope, I don't think that's the usual cultivated pawpaw (Asimina triloba), NOR a pawpaw (papaya). Asimina triloba leaves are in clusters which remind me of chestnut leaves. And that picture is definitely not a papaya, either.

https://www.google.com/search?q=asimina+triloba+sapling+images

more close-ups of the leaves may help. it could be one of the other species of pawpaw. A. tetramera is endemic to florida, and you look like you might have the right kind of sandy soil that it would like. it’s listed as endangered...

greg mosser wrote:more close-ups of the leaves may help. it could be one of the other species of pawpaw. A. tetramera is endemic to florida, and you look like you might have the right kind of sandy soil that it would like. it’s listed as endangered...

Ill get better pict this weekend and post them as soon as I have internet service. Thanks

Is it true that the fruit reeks of vommit? I've been told that it can be horrible.

Id like to find 2 of them ( evidently not self pollinating ) if anyone knows of a reasonable source.

Im wondering why so many of the fruit trees that are adapted so well to north florida weather are so difficult to find.

Jason Walter wrote:Is it true that the fruit reeks of vommit? I've been told that it can be horrible.

Id like to find 2 of them ( evidently not self pollinating ) if anyone knows of a reasonable source.

Im wondering why so many of the fruit trees that are adapted so well to north florida weather are so difficult to find.

My father took one to work years ago because no one there had ever seen one. No one liked it, so they threw it in the trash. They had to take the trash out early that day because it started stinking up the whole building!

Everything in that family (pawpaw, soursap, sweetsap, etc) have a very strong and distinct aroma. Can you crush a leaf and describe the "aroma".

I am 99% sure those are not from the pawpaw family. If anything it looks like something from the apple subfamily/tribe. It reminds me alot of quince.

I agree with Greg, either asimina tetramera or asimina obovata.  There are at least five dwarf pawpaw specifies native to Florida, and I would say that is definitely one of them. Thats about as big as they get. The vast bulk of the tree is underground, it consists of a giant swollen taproot that goes down at least 6 feet. All the florida pawapaw other than triloba have whitish yellow flowers. They are also becoming quite rare due to development.

Pict

I didn't crush the leaf for smell yet but will do so

The leaf crushed smells like an ordinary leaf. Nothing special about it. I don't know how to describe that smell

Very faint. Not strong

Jason Walter wrote:Pict

The top one in this group looks like pokeweed to me.

The leaves are alternate and produce pungent odor when crushed.
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/asimina-triloba/

Others have said:

If you're still in doubt, crush a bit of a leaf and smell it; if it's a pawpaw, it will have a "gasoline-like" smell (it's about as close to gasoline as the fruit flavor is to a banana, but it's distinctive, an unmistakeable petroleum-distillate odor.

I planted paw paw trees this weekend. I do believe now that the tree I initially posted is a paw paw. Its still there along with others on my property.

They are not hurting anyone so I'm leaving it to see if anything happens.

I honestly do not know what to look for in leaves but comparing what I now know to be paw paw and the other leaves along with woody parts I've decided they are paw paws.

If they bear no fruit like county ext guy said would be the case than eventually they will have to go.

Pics are of my new paw paw trees

Jason Walter wrote:If they bear no fruit like county ext guy said would be the case than eventually they will have to go.

I don't know what your tree is, so I could be mistaken about this, but in one of your pictures I count nine clusters of what I assume are it's fruits. Unless it has bright green flowers?

T Melville wrote:

Jason Walter wrote:If they bear no fruit like county ext guy said would be the case than eventually they will have to go.

I don't know what your tree is, so I could be mistaken about this, but in one of your pictures I count nine clusters of what I assume are it's fruits. Unless it has bright green flowers?

I cannot explain this picture, yes I posted it but Im not sure that I did not confuse some other plant that I was taking photos of. I do not believe this is the same plant I had initially posted, leaves dont even look the same.

Im sorry for the confusion. I will investigate this further when I am back on this property over the weekend.

Edit: I believe this to be a pokeweed plant that I photod for later investigation. I should not have posted it on this thread

Your plant looks a little different from our local pokeweed, but similar. Those fruits are definitely consistent with immature pokeberries.

Here is information I have gathered about this plant. I hope it is of interest to someone

Hi Jason, here is the requested information

The paw paw that is quite common in this area and produces a very modest amount of fruit and a plant profile along with specimen photos can be found here: https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=529

I don't know anything about paw paws, but you have a nice clump of crabgrass. It will grow well in sandy soil.

Dwarf  Huckleberry (Gaylussacia dumosa)