Pawpaw vs Thornless Honeylocust - TreeTime.ca

Pawpaw vs Thornless Honeylocust

Asimina triloba

Gleditsia triacanthos inermis

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Pawpaw
Thornless Honeylocust

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.

Thornless Honey Locust makes an excellent shade tree with its lacy foliage and dappled shade. The leaves are honey-yellow, light and airy, providing interesting color and texture to your landscape. This variety is thornless, and the seeds and pods provide food for wildlife such as deer and squirrels.

The Thornless Honey Locust is tolerant of drought, various soil conditions, and even road salt.

Pawpaw Quick Facts

Thornless Honeylocust Quick Facts

Zone: 5a
Zone: 3a
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Height: 15 m (50 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 15 m (50 ft)
Light: any
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: any
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: long
Suckering: high
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: light and thin
Flowers: red purple
Fruit: large, yellow green to brown
Flavor: similar to mango or banana
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


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