Pawpaw is the largest edible native fruit in North America, producing a tropical-flavored, custard-like fruit that was eaten by Lewis and Clark's expedition and remains beloved by foragers today. It forms clonal thickets in rich, moist bottomland forests by root sprouting. It is the larval host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly.
Habitat
Rich moist bottomland forests and stream corridors in eastern North America
Diet
Fruits eaten by possums, raccoons, and foxes; larval host for zebra swallowtail
How common
Common
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