Finally, I tasted it! The famous breadfruit tree! Even though I’ve been growing it in the garden for almost 15 years, mine is just starting to flower and hasn’t produced its first “loaf” yet! But, thank you life! I have good friends who have contacts! And it is a delicious fruit!
For more and more Nordic gardeners, the dream of growing a famous breadfruit tree (Asimina triloba) has become a reality. The America pawpaw is indeed a tree that could be described as exotic, because of its fruit which looks like a small mango. In fact, the plant is native to North America and it grows naturally in the eastern United States and southern Ontario. It turns out that the plant is hardier than we thought and, we must admit, global warming probably allows us to cultivate it further north.
The American pawpaw, also called breadfruit or northern mango, is a very interesting small tree for the edible garden. It is also a favorite for the laidback gardener that I am, because it’s easy to grow and is not susceptible to attack by insects and diseases. Although it is native to wetlands and swampy areas, it grows without difficulty in dry, sandy soil. It is also a tree that tolerates well the slight shade of larger trees.
The foliage of the America pawpaw is quite spectacular on its own. These broad, late-blooming leaves can be up to 1 foot (30 cm) long. In the fall, they take on a beautiful golden yellow color, which is quite magnificent.
In its natural environment, the plant forms clumps from these suckering roots . In my own garden, I have had my second sucker in 15 years! These pull out quite easily from the ground, simply by yanking on them. I couldn’t say that would be problematic.
How to Obtain Pawpaw Fruits?
Flowering, burgundy in color, appears very early in the spring, before the leaves emerge. Flowers appear along two-year-old stems. Even though the flowers are hermaphroditic (they have both male and female organs), the America pawpaw is generally self-sterile. It therefore takes two plants, ideally of different varieties, to produce fruit. The other option is to find friends who grow the plant, in order to trade flowers!
The resulting fruit resembles a bun, 3 to 6 inches (5-15 cm) long. Each flower can give rise to several buns, up to seven! These are berries that contain several hard seeds. The flesh is soft and its taste is exquisite! The flavor is like a happy mix between mango and banana.
Interesting Varieties
At the time when I got my precious plant, everything on the market was grown from seedlings of the species. Since then, many varieties have crossed the American border. The hybridization of the America pawpaw took place mostly in the states of Kentucky, Georgia and Michigan. These hybrids are usually more productive, the fruit is bigger, or the flavor is better! For the northern gardener, the ‘Campbell NC-1’ cultivars, developed in Ontario, and the ‘PA Golden’ selections bred in New York state seem to be of most interest. You will find ‘Sunflower’ and ‘Mango’ quite easily, but dozens of varieties remain to be discovered. Most America pawpaws are hardy in USDA zone 4 or 5.
In short, it is a great discovery and an essential addition to the gourmet garden.