Asimina triloba is a fancy name for  pawpaw, a tree which is all but forgotten by Shepherdstown gardeners. Today, it seems to have gone the way of the yellow billed cuckoo James Audubon once painted, as it feasted on the creamy sweetness of the pawpaw fruit. Oblivion seems to be too harsh a fate for this member of the Annonacea, considering the important role it played in the diet of of Native Americans and early colonists. Why, de Soto himself mentioned it and in the XVIII Century Quaker botanists sent it to England to show the Brits just how marvelous  it was.

Take a walk around historical Shepherdstown and you will see a goodly number of  Bradford  pear and Yoshino cherry trees, imported  interlopers whose symmetrical  tidiness  make them  the ubiquitous choice of  shopping mall landscapers. Yes, I know there are town residents who divide trees into two categories, tidy, therefore acceptable, and untidy, aka dirty trees deserving instant death.

Pawpaw are deciduous. They can be messy if  fruit is left unharvested. The thing is, nature often seems untidy to those who cherish a vacuum. You are not one of those, are you? If you are, you might consider what  your contribution will be to our wounded planet. Will it be a positive contribution? I am not talking about living in a yurt and eating tofu forever, though if that is your choice, hey, more power to you. I am talking about middle ground, tiny steps, a couple of trees. we are not into self-righteousness here.

Ponder, if you will, the fate of the yellow billed cuckoo. Have you seen any lately? It is unlikely that you have seen the eerily gorgeous zebra swallowtail butterfly, Euritydes marcellus either. That is not surprising. The larva of zebra swallowtail butterfly feeds exclusively on pawpaw leaves. If ever you have had the good luck of seeing swallowtails in flight, as I did, some ten years, near the Shepherd University's Frank Center, you might consider asking a couple of them to lunch. First, you need to find  a plant nursery that sells pawpaw seedlings unless you are the sort who prefers to start from scratch. In that case, you will need to find a source for seeds, of which more anon.

You need at least two trees  for germination purposes if you wish to have your very own source of  pawpaw fruit.  Why not be  the first to plant a  a couple of this the  only temperate member of the Custard Apple tree in your neighborhood?  It will not get you invited to the country club, but heck, you would rather garden, wouldn't you? 

 I  ordered my pawpaw seedlings from Miller Nurseries, on the web. If you can find a local source, so much the better. Check with Virginia Provenzano, who is a member of The Society for the Preservation of Native Plants.