Are pawpaws Allelopathic

So we had some pawpaws come up from seed we didnt realize we had planted. They are a wild native variety. When out in the forest where the seeds came from i noticed that nothing much grows in the understory. I would ve trompsing through brush looking for spicebush then come into an area that was clear except the pawpaws. There were plants growing but it wasnt the brush tha was in an adjoining area. Now the forest i am talking about isnt maintained except trails. The pawpaw has many stands and i have checked all of them with the same results. The understory is not brushy. Taking the long way around to the barn door , my wifes concern is that we have planted the pawpaw seedlings in along with our hazel nut , persimmons and other understory plantings. She is worried that the 3 pawpaws may end up killing the other trees if the pawpaw are allelopathic . I am not sure if they are . We have all of our trees spaced the way they like it. I feel maybe the size and amount of leaves the trees put out may be why the forest understory is clear. I also do not feel there are enough pawpaws to affect our other trees. Does anyone have any input into this ?  Thanks for your help.

I've noticed the same thing about wild pawpaw stands. I've always attributed it to dense shade. Wild pawpaw stands are typically in the understory of taller trees already, and their density of large leaves means very little of the light at all reaches anything below them. It's possible there's some allelopathy at work too, as allelopathy is actually pretty common. From my observations, if there's any allelopathy it's not overwhelmingly strong, as trees that are taller than the pawpaws don't seem to have any issues. Pawpaws in cultivation as single trees where the shade is less dense can have grass growing right up to them as well.

I have noticed to same . I have been wondering because of how drastic the understory is between the pawpaw stand and the area juts next to it. Always trying to learn all i can. Thank you for your input

I've been growing pawpaws in close proximity to persimmons (about 1 meter / 3 feet), and have not noticed any ill effects on the persimmons. Pawpaws send up a lot of suckers from their roots which can form a dense canopy choking out other plants. I'm not aware of a specific chemical used by pawpaws to attack other plants. They do produce acetogenin which is a neurotoxin for animals, but I don't be believe it impacts nearby plants.

My question is how can a plant be allelopathic and a dynamic accumulator?

Does the good out weight the bad?

Here are some threads with the benefits of pawpaws:

https://permies.com/t/180257/kitchen/Medicinal-Trees-Asimina-triloba-Pawpaw

https://permies.com/t/24873/PawPaw-Food-Forest

https://permies.com/t/14234/Planting-Guilds-Pawpaw-Cherry-Asian

Anne Miller wrote:My question is how can a plant be allelopathic and a dynamic accumulator?

I think the theory (not sure if there's proof) is that dynamic accumulators pull up nutrients that are then deposited on the ground when their leaves fall (or they are chop and dropped).  Then the other plants can use those nutrients.  The plant may not be deliberately performing this service.  So it could be allelopathic and an accumulator at the same time.