Is Pawpaw deer resistant?
Asimina triloba
Plant typeTreeHardinessZones 5–9LightPart shade
Mature height180–360 in
BloomSpringMaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
Native range30 US states
About Pawpaw
North America's largest native fruit, tasting somewhere between banana and mango. You need two genetically different trees for fruit, and the flowers are pollinated by flies rather than bees.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 94 to 142 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Pawpaw
Other trees with the same deer rating.
- American HollyIlex opacaZones 5–9Rarely damaged
- Bottlebrush BuckeyeAesculus parvifloraZones 5–9Rarely damaged
- Dwarf Alberta SprucePicea glauca 'Conica'Zones 2–6Rarely damaged
- Japanese Black PinePinus thunbergianaZones 5–8Rarely damaged
- Katsura TreeCercidiphyllum japonicumZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- MimosaAlbizia julibrissinZones 6–9Rarely damaged
Where Pawpaw grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvanianative
- New Jerseynative
- New Yorknative
- Connecticutnative
- Massachusetts
- Virginianative
- Marylandnative
- Michigannative
- Wisconsinnative
- Ohionative
- Indiananative
- Illinoisnative
- Minnesota
- Missourinative
- North Carolinanative
- Tennesseenative
- Georgianative
- Texasnative
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delawarenative
- West Virginianative
- Kentuckynative
- South Carolinanative
- Floridanative
- Alabamanative
- Mississippinative
- Louisiananative
- Arkansasnative
- Oklahomanative
- Kansasnative
- Nebraskanative
- Iowanative
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbianative
- Hawaii
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 30 US states in total.
Browse from here
Every list Pawpaw belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Pawpaw
- Is Pawpaw deer resistant?
- Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Pawpaw grow in?
- Pawpaw is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Pawpaw grow in shade?
- Yes. Pawpaw tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Pawpaw get?
- Mature height is roughly 180–360 in. Growth rate is slow.