Asimina parviflora, the smallflower pawpaw, is a small to medium shrub in the custard apple family.

A. parviflora hybridizes readily with A. triloba to form Asimina ×piedmontana.

Distribution It is native to the Southeastern United States, where it is found from Texas to Virginia. It is found most often in sandy areas, alluvial areas, and dry woods.Flora of North America

Description Asimina parviflora has maroon, fleshy flowers in the spring. It produces an edible fruit, although the fruit is smaller than of its relative Asimina triloba, the pawpaw tree.

Its pollen is shed as permanent tetrads. Small-flower pawpaws are found further south than common pawpaws, and form shrubs rather than trees, with most plants ranging in height from one to three feet, with only a few getting taller. The flowers are usually smaller than two centimeters in size. The flowers begin as brown buds, then swell to green immature flowers, and turn burgundy or brown when fully mature. They reach up to 3 inches in length.

The leaves are usually a dark green, and smooth in texture.Walker JW (1971) Pollen Morphology, Phytogeography, and Phylogeny of the Annonaceae. Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University, 202: 1-130. They are alternately arranged, and are simple, oblanceolate to oblong, or obovate in shape. They can reach up to 8 inches in length.

Ecology

Habitat A. parviflora is found most commonly in environments with loamy or moist sands, such as woodland slopes, floodplains, and hardwood forests.

Phenology The flowers of A. parviflora are in bloom from February to May, but some individuals have been observed to be flowering in June.Nelson, G. PanFlora: Plant data for the eastern United States with emphasis on the Southeastern Coastal Plains, Florida, and the Florida Panhandle. www.gilnelson.com/PanFlora/ Accessed: 11 July 2025

Cultural uses The fruit of A. parviflora is edible, often used in baking or eaten raw.Fernald, et al. 1958. Edible Plants of Eastern North America. Harper and Row Publishers, New York.

The seeds of the fruit can be used medicinally, able to induce vomiting or function as a head lice remedy when powdered. Additionally, juice made from the fruit of A. parviflora has been used as a treatment for intestinal worms.

Gallery

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile for Asimina parviflora (smallflower pawpaw)