Asimina parviflora (Michx.) Dunal

Author: Amanda Jones

Common Names: (Dean, 1968)

• Dwarf-Pawpaw
• Small-fruited Pawpaw

Higher Taxa: (Takhtajan, 1997)

• Class: Magnoliidae
• Order: Annonales
• Family: Anonaceae
• Subfamily: Annonoideae
• Tribe: Uvarieae
• Genus: Asimina
• Species: parviflora

Identification:

The species A. parviflora was first descibed by Michaux in 1803, but "treated it under his own generic epithet, Orchidocarpum and called it O. parviflorum" (Kral, 1959). Kral then states that, "The exact reasons for Michaux's selection of the new generic name are not clear" (Kral, 1959). However, Dunal (1813) recognized that Adanson, who first described Asimina, had a much better generic description and placed parviflora under the genus Asimina. A. parviflora is distinguished from A. triloba mostly by its smaller flowers and fruits and generally smaller aspect (Kral, 1959). However, specimens that lack fruit or flowers are hard to separate from certain A. triloba. Unlike A. triloba, A. parviflora is native to the lowlands of the southeastern and southern coastal plain (Dean, 1968). The only unattactive feature of A. parviflora is the "faintly fetid aroma of its flowers" (Kral, 1959). The flowers are a "small, greenish-purple growing from the sides of branches" (Dean, 1968). Flowers often appear before leaves and are often 2 cm broad (Duncan and Duncan, 1988). The species A. parviflora grows 3-12 feet high with leaves and fruit very similar to A. triloba, the latter being "oblong or pear-shaped, fleshy, and seeded" (Chapman, 1872).

Click here forSpecies Identification Key.

Geography:

A. parviflora extends as far north as North Carolina and southern Georgia and Florida (Coker and Totten, 1937). The species also grows over most of the southeast (farther south than A. triloba) in pinelands, oakwoods, and coastal plains Table I: North American Distribution of A. triloba

A. parviflora, a deciduous shrub or tree, usually begins flowering in April and continues through May and fruits appear from July to September (Callaway, 1990). The species prefers dry, sandy soil and is more like a shrub than A. triloba, growing in the shade of taller trees (Chapman, 1872). Flowers often appear before the leaves and fruits are eaten by wildlife (Duncan and Duncan, 1988).

How to Encounter:

A. parviflora can be encountered in much the same way as A. triloba, although A. parviflora is more abundant in very southern states. The best time to spot a flowering dwarf-pawpaw would be in the spring (April-May) and in coastal areas, even near lakes in Georgia and Florida (Chapman, 1872). Locally, the species is living on Lake Herrick in the Oconee National Forest.

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