#Paw paw tree identification Patch

This distribution is likely a reflection of the amount of preferred pawpaw habitat in each park, but may also be related to other ecological processes.įigure 1. Pawpaw is the most common sapling species in C&O Canal (CHOH), GW Memorial Parkway (GWMP), Harpers Ferry (HAFE), and National Capital Parks - East (NACE), and ranks as the second most common sapling species at Antietam (ANTI), and Monocacy (MONO). While NCRN forest monitoring shows pawpaw to be the most common sapling in the region, some parks have many more pawpaw saplings than others (Figure 1). (Note: National park regulations on activities like foraging are found in the superintendent's compendium for each park.) Still, pawpaw fruit can often be found by closely surveying the ground underneath a fruiting tree. Opossums, foxes, squirrels, raccoons, and birds are all known to enjoy pawpaw and are likely to be closely watching for ripe fruits. Nonetheless, pawpaw’s pollinators (which include flies and beetles) inevitably pollinate some flowers, and fruit-hunters may eventually find a tree with fruit.

#Paw paw tree identification Patch

Instead, to produce fruit, a pawpaw flower must receive pollen from flowers on another tree, and sometimes this “other tree” is farther away than it may appear at first glance! Although pawpaws frequently grow in clusters (think pawpaw patch), the trees in a patch are often genetically identical and connected underground by roots (and thus, in biological terms, are a single plant). Pawpaw is self-incompatible, which means that pollen produced on a plant cannot pollinate flowers on the same plant. In spite of pawpaw’s prevalence in NCR forests, successfully foraging for its fruits can be a challenge. The fruit has the ungainly appearance of a small green potato and may occur in clusters on the tree. The flavor of pawpaw fruit is often compared to bananas, but with hints of mango, vanilla, and citrus. One of the most tasty late-season rewards for hikers and wildlife alike is the pawpaw fruit, which begins to ripen in late summer and peaks in September and October.