The answer to last week’s mystery is paw paw fruit, Asimina triloba, pictured below:
Paw paw is an understory tree in its native habitat, but requires full sun for the best fruit production.
Paw paw fruit, which is technically a berry, has a custard-like consistency and is best enjoyed with a spoon. The flavor of the fruit is a cross between a banana and a mango. You likely won’t find paw paw in your local grocery store because the fruits bruise very easily and don’t last long.
Paw paw fruit can grow to a length of around six inches and weight a whopping eighteen ounces each, making them the largest edible fruits of any native plant in the continental United States.
In Fall, paw paw fruits drop and ripen on the ground, while the leaves turn a vibrant golden yellow. The scent of the ripening fruit attracts animals, like raccoons, opossums, and birds, to eat the berries and disperse their seeds.
In addition to tasty yummy, paw paw fruit is very nutritious! It is high in carbohydrates and exceeds apple, peach, and grape in most vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and food energy values.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
