Photo by Alex Abair on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Pawpaw
Asimina triloba
- When
- Typically September – October — September, October. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where it grows
- Shady river bottoms and creek flats, in dense clonal patches under bigger trees.
- How to know it
- Understorey tree with huge drooping leaves and green mango-shaped fruit; ripe ones fall and give to a gentle squeeze.
- Look-alikes
- None. Skin and seeds should not be eaten.
- Harvest and use
- The largest native fruit on the continent — custard texture, mango-banana flavour. Eat within days or freeze the pulp.
- Caution
- A minority of people react to pawpaw. Try a little the first time.
Found in these regions
- Central Hardwoods & Interior Plateaus
- Appalachian Highlands
- Northeast Atlantic Coast & Piedmont
- Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Lowlands
- Southeastern Piedmont & Coastal Plain
Hardiness zones 5–9.
Is it ready near you?
Get this week's foraging guide for your area
Enter a town, postal code or ZIP and we'll tell you what's in season right there this week — from your local climate, this week's weather and your ecological region.
Also ready in September
FruitAugust – SeptemberBeach plum
Prunus maritima
Low sprawling shrub in the sand, with dusty purple plums about the size of a marble.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
NutSeptember – OctoberBlack walnut
Juglans nigra
Tennis-ball green husks lying under a tall tree with long compound leaves; the husk stains everything it touches brown.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0
FruitAugust – SeptemberChokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Long drooping clusters of dark red-to-black cherries on a small tree with finely toothed oval leaves.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
Educational information only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom identified from a single photograph or description — confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager, and know the poisonous species in your area first.