Pawpaw is a small tree or shrub native to North America. The tree produces a fruit, also called pawpaw, that looks somewhat like a thick, short banana. The plant grows in the southern United States, and as far north as Kansas, Michigan, and New Jersey. Its leaves spread out in umbrellalike whorls. When the leaves are bruised they give off a disagreeable odor.
The pawpaw grows from 10 to 40 feet (3 to 12 meters) high and bears fruit 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 centimeters) long. The fruit has yellowish-green or greenish-brown skin and a yellowish or greenish-white flesh. Those with yellowish flesh have a pleasant taste and are often eaten fresh. Those with greenish-white flesh generally are not eaten. The wood of the tree is too soft and coarse to be valuable.
Another tree called pawpaw, papaw, or papaya, is grown in the tropics for its edible fruit. See Papaya .
