Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Asimina Triloba

Size:

15'-40' tall

Leaves:

alternate, simple, 8"-10" long, untoothed, with pointed tip and tapering base; smooth and light green above, paler beneath

Flowers:

maroon, cup-shaped with six petals in two layers, outer three spreading and inner three smaller; March-May

Fruit:

very large yellow-green fruit, 2"-5" oblong, the largest of any plant native to North America; edible, sweet, and nutritious, with a custardy texture; enjoyed by wildlife; August-October

Fall Interest:

yellow, long-lasting; deciduous

Culture:

sun to partial shade to full shade; moist, fertile, acidic soil

Disease/Insect:

Use:

native garden, rain garden

Cultivars:

Notes:

spreads by suckers to form thickets; inner bark woven into cloth by Native Americans and used for stringing fish by early settlers; many historical medicinal uses; host plant for zebra swallowtail butterfly; native to Arkansas