Manchurian Apricot vs Pawpaw - TreeTime.ca

Manchurian Apricot vs Pawpaw

Prunus armeniaca var. mandshurica

Asimina triloba

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Manchurian Apricot
Pawpaw

Manchurian Apricot is a winter-hardy relative of the native plum. This tree can stand some drought, but will not handle standing water or saturated moist soils. It can be used in shelterbelts, hedges, or as an ornamental. Manchurian Apricot will also attract songbirds, rabbits, and other rodents if left uncontrolled.

This tree will produce fruit once it reaches maturity at between two and five years old. Other famous cultivars of Manchurian Apricot include Scout Apricot, Moongold, and many more.

The Pawpaw tree produces delicious, sweet fruit with a unique banana-mango flavor. These oblong fruits start yellowish-green and mature to a dark brown in the fall. It is best to leave them on the tree until ripe, as they do not ripen well once picked. Pawpaws can be enjoyed fresh, in baking, or in ice cream.

Pawpaws produce the largest native fruit in North America. They typically grow as a small understory tree or large shrub on wooded slopes, in ravines, and along stream banks. They often spread through root suckers, forming dense thickets over time.

For fruit production to occur more than one genetically different Pawpaw tree is required. Our Pawpaw seedlings are grown from seed so they are all genetically different.

Note: Avoid eating the seeds and skin of the Pawpaw fruit as they can cause stomach pain for some individuals. Contact with the skin of the fruit can also result in skin irritation, so it is recommended to wear gloves during harvest. Plant this tree once. Due to its large tap root transplanting is not recommended.

Manchurian Apricot Quick Facts

Pawpaw Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 5a
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 5 m (18 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: medium
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: orange to yellow
Bark: red to cinnamon brown
Flowers: white to light pink
Flowers: red purple
Fruit: small apricot
Fruit: large, yellow green to brown
Fruit size: 40g
Firmness: firm
Flavor: similar to mango or banana
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: american pawpaw, custard apple, custard apple tree, indian banana, paw paw, paw-paw, wild banana