Wild Weeds – Weed of the Month

Woolly Pawpaw

Asimina incana

Woolly Pawpaw is a shrub which can reach heights of 1.5 meters. This plant is native to Florida and can be found mostly in sandy areas such as upland oaks, pastures, and longleaf pine-turkey oak systems. A characteristic of this plant which helped it gain it’s common name is the soft, wool-like leaves. The leaves are thick and leathery and covered in soft hairs which makes it have a very pleasant feeling on the skin.

This Florida native has large, droopy white flowers which mature into green fruits. The Pawpaw fruit can easily reach sizes of 8 cm in length. A different pawpaw (Asimina triloba) which is native to east-central US states is the largest edible fruit indigenous to the US and can be consumed, however woolly pawpaw fruit is not always palatable and not often consumed.

Learn more about the plant characteristics here: http://efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500174

Check out other Wild Weeds Here: https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/bakerco/tag/wild-weeds/

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