Pawpaw fruit ripens in August and September. (Photo by Allen Owings)

The pawpaw is a popular native fruit tree that’s sometimes hard to find at garden centers.

Pawpaws need some shade to get established but can tolerate full sun after the first couple of years.

Flowers are maroon and appear in mid-March in south Louisiana. Fruit ripens in August and early September. They are tannish-yellow with white, creamy flesh that is custardy in texture.

Pawpaws prefer a well-drained soil.

Pawpaws will attract zebra swallowtail butterflies to the garden.

Allen Owings
Rick Bogren