A TROPICAL OASIS OF SPRING FLOWERS AND CUSTARD-LIKE FRUIT
FEATURES:
- Red-purple flowers bloom in spring
- Lush tropical green leaves change bright yellow for fall color
- Cold-hardy tropical fruit tree with a large harvest in fall
- Custard-like fruit has a vanilla banana flavor
- Pawpaw trees need a pollinating partner to produce fruit
- A speciality variety of Neal Peterson
- Hand Selected, Fresh from the Grower
- Ships on our trucks because of the size of the tree - does not fit in a box
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-9
- Mature Height: 15-20' tall
- Mature Width: 15-20' wide
- Exposure: Full Sun/Part Shade
- Spacing: 15-20' apart
Rappahannock® Pawpaw
Bower & Branch Trees and Plants
Asimina triloba 'Rappahannock'
Regular price
1 (866) 873-3888
Monday - Thursday: 8AM - 8PM
Friday & Saturday 9AM - 4PM
A TROPICAL OASIS OF SPRING FLOWERS AND CUSTARD-LIKE FRUIT
FEATURES:
- Red-purple flowers bloom in spring
- Lush tropical green leaves change bright yellow for fall color
- Cold-hardy tropical fruit tree with a large harvest in fall
- Custard-like fruit has a vanilla banana flavor
- Pawpaw trees need a pollinating partner to produce fruit
- A speciality variety of Neal Peterson
- Hand Selected, Fresh from the Grower
- Ships on our trucks because of the size of the tree - does not fit in a box
Growth Facts
- Hardiness Zone: 5-9
- Mature Height: 15-20' tall
- Mature Width: 15-20' wide
- Exposure: Full Sun/Part Shade
- Spacing: 15-20' apart
Why plant Rappahannock® Pawpaw?
Rappahannock® Pawpaw, with foot-long leaves that droop lazily from the branches, will give your garden a laid-back tropical vibe. Plant it where you’ll be able to appreciate its bold presence throughout the growing season—especially in fall, when the foliage turns the color of ripe pineapple. If you plant more than one tree, you may also be rewarded with the gift of delectable fruits, which have a tropical flair as well. The uncommon pawpaw fruit contains a sweet, creamy yellow flesh that’s often compared to banana custard in flavor about the size of a potato.
This variety was named after the Rappahannock River in Virginia, as many pawpaw trees can be found in groves along the riverside, which many wildlife and backpackers look forward to each fall season. The earliest accounts of Pawpaw Trees in North America date back to 1541. A Spanish traveler named Hernando De Soto was given pawpaw fruits from the Native Americans who were harvesting the trees by the Mississippi River. Pawpaw fruit was a main source of food for Native Americans and Settlers as they lived and traveled through the land; they mainly relied on foraging for food. They were especially beloved amongst Native Americans, most tribes having a month dedicated to the fruits in their calendar, referring to them as 'asimi'. During the Great Depression, they were nicknamed "poor man's banana," After World War II and the introduction of other fruits, pawpaw became harder to find. Mainly seen today in farmer's markets, you can now keep the tradition going and harvest these delicious treats in your own backyard!
How to use Rappahannock® Pawpaw in the landscape?
Rappahannock is a specialty variety of Neal Peterson. Neal Peterson is a well-known Pawpaw breeder, and is revered as one of the top horticulturists for Asimina triloba. A Peterson variety of Pawpaw means its more reliable, tastier, and guaranteed superior quality.
Pawpaw trees are a member of the Custard Apple Family, and Rappahannock is one of the largest varieties. This ornamental tropical fruit tree is perfect for both front and backyard planting, with its many seasons of color and deliciousness! Plant 8-15 feet apart from a pollinating pawpaw tree and grow a large harvest with plenty to share! Wonderful in puddings, pies, baked goods, and for canning.
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 5-9
How To Plant Rappahannock® Pawpaw
Pawpaw’s home in the wild is at forest edges or in the woodland understory, and it appreciates similar conditions in the landscape. It is happiest in a site with rich, organic-laden, well-drained soil and a generous layer of mulch. It flourishes in the shade but will tolerate full sun if it is shaded for the first few years and if regular irrigation can be provided. This tree doesn’t like constantly soggy soil, but it doesn’t like to dry out, either.
How To Water
Pawpaws will appreciate regular water during its first few years in the ground and irrigation during long dry spells after it’s established.
How To Fertilize
Fertilize your Pawpaw twice each year with our Elements Starter Plant Food for more optimal growth and fruit production.
How To Prune
Suckers may appear around the tree—this is simply Pawpaw’s natural growth habit. You may pull or mow off the suckers to maintain the tree as a single-trunked specimen, or you may let them grow to allow a Pawpaw patch of your own to form.
How Does Shipping Work?
Bower & Branch Trees, the real BIG trees, don’t fit in a box! Our big trees, sizes XL and bigger, require expert delivery and care, that means our extra-large trees are shipped on Bower & Branch trucks. We are the only ones who know how to ship our big and bigger trees and plants with tender loving care. We deliver your trees and plants directly to you. Ask Bower & Branch about planting services – we'd be happy to assist in installation.
*For Big trees and Shrubs, Size XL and bigger: Review our Seasonal Shipping Timelines and Policy here.
Your trees and plants are grown across the United States at various Bower & Branch Growers. Depending on your location, your plant orders may be shipped from various locations. Please expect orders with multiple items to be delivered over a number of days as a result. Orders made up of numerous items or selections will not arrive at your home on the same day.
Shipping Delays:
From time to time, Bower & Branch Growers may determine to delay order shipment based on various factors for plant health. Weather in your region, as well as, where your plants are grown, is always considered when shipping. Extreme weather conditions may delay some or all of your order. Bower & Branch allows our Growers to make final shipping decisions based solely to benefit your trees and plants’ health and success.
How Does Sizing Work?
The size of our trees have nothing to do with the container size like you may find elsewhere–big doesn't mean just height - it’s also vigor, age, and overall health. Other online retailers are going to tell you that a plant is a seven gallon, that means nothing to your tree or plant (or you.)
Our trees for sale online are graded on large, x-large, and even bigger sizes. This is because our trees are sized by their age—the higher the letter, the more mature the tree. The age determines the trees’ overall height, size of the trunk and the overall branch density.
All of these characteristics are what you should be looking for when choosing a tree for immediate impact and instant curb appeal. Our extra-large tree and plant sizes are sure to wow you and your neighbors!
See the size guides below.
Our Guarantees
3-YEAR-TREE GUARANTEE:
Bower & Branch offers a Three-Year Tree Guarantee on all of our trees, sizes X-Large and up. Only the finest and the most experienced growers are awarded the opportunity to grow for Bower & Branch, so we offer the best guarantee available.
If your tree(s) should fail for any reason during the three-year guarantee period, you will receive an online gift card in the amount that you originally spent on the tree.* You can then use this online gift card for any Bower & Branch Purchase.
* Bower & Branch provides online gift cards in the amount of the original purchase price of the tree(s). The amount does not include any additional costs such as delivery, planting, tax, or any other products or services. Online gift cards can be applied towards any Bower & Branch purchase on BowerandBranch.com and have no expiration dates. Bower & Branch does not guarantee tree replacement or availability of any desired product at any time. Cash refunds are not offered. Bower & Branch requires that all original tags and receipts are present when a guarantee request is initiated. The Bower & Branch Three-Year Guarantee only applies to plant material that has been planted in the ground. Container plantings are NOT covered.
At Bower & Branch, we do our best to honor all guarantee fulfillment requests to ensure customer satisfaction. However, we reserve the right to refuse the request if the required guarantee steps were not satisfied. Bower & Branch also reserves the right to deny any guarantee fulfillment request that is made as a result of animal damage, problems with plant hardiness and zone issues, or acts of nature (snow storms, hurricanes, and similar).
Reach out to a Plant Whisperer with any questions:
- Email: plantwhisperers@bowerandbranch.com
- Phone: 866-873-3888
- Or via Online Chat
