Difference between revisions of "Asimina triloba"

From Gardenology.org - Plant Encyclopedia and Gardening Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
 
Line 1: Line 1:
 +
{{SPlantbox
 +
|genus=Asimina
 +
|species=triloba
 +
|Temp Metric=°F
 +
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
 +
|image=Upload.png
 +
|image_width=240
 +
}}
 +
{{Inc|
 +
Asimina triloba, Dunal (Annonalrtloba, Linn.). Fig. 401. Small tree, 10-40 ft. : Lvs. cunéate, obovate-oblong, acute, ½-1 ft. long, glabrous: fls. with the Lvs. from branches of the previous year, green when expanding, changing to purplish red, with yellow in the middle, 2 in. broad: fr.oblong, 2-6 in. long, dark brown. S. states, north to N. Y., west to Mich, and Kan. S.S. 1:15, 16. B.M. 6854. Gn. 33, p. 321. G.F. 8:495. A.G. 44:713. R.H. 1911, pp. 134, 135.—This is the only arborescent species of the genus. It is well worth a place in the garden, for its large foliage is very handsome and the fls., appearing in the early spring, are attractive. The large fr. is edible, and may be still improved by cult, and careful selection of the best varieties. Many persons do not relish the highly aromatic flavor; and the large seeds are a disadvantage. The tree has proved hardy in Mass, and Ont. One or 2 named forms have been offered.
 +
}}
 +
 
{{Taxobox
 
{{Taxobox
 
| color = lightgreen
 
| color = lightgreen
Line 32: Line 44:
 
The common pawpaw is considered a [[threatened species]] in [[New York]], and an [[endangered species]] in [[New Jersey]].
 
The common pawpaw is considered a [[threatened species]] in [[New York]], and an [[endangered species]] in [[New Jersey]].
  
In [[Canada]], it is only found in portions of southern [[Ontario]], where it has a National [[NRANK]] of N3 (Vulnerable) and a Provincial [[SRANK]] of S3 (Vulnerable). The [[Ministry of Natural Resources (Ontario)|Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources]] has given ''A. triloba'' a general status of "Sensitive", and its populations are monitored.
+
In [[Canada]], it is only found in portions of southern [[Ontario]], where it has a National [[NRANK]] of N3 (Vulnerable) and a Provincial [[SRANK]] of S3 (Vulnerable). The [[Ministry of Natural Resources (Ontario)|Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources]] has given ''A. triloba'' a general status of "Sensitive", and its populations are monitored.
  
 
== Biochemistry ==
 
== Biochemistry ==

Revision as of 12:27, 27 January 2010


Upload.png


Plant Characteristics
Cultivation
Scientific Names

Asimina >

triloba >


If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!



Read about Asimina triloba in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Asimina triloba, Dunal (Annonalrtloba, Linn.). Fig. 401. Small tree, 10-40 ft. : Lvs. cunéate, obovate-oblong, acute, ½-1 ft. long, glabrous: fls. with the Lvs. from branches of the previous year, green when expanding, changing to purplish red, with yellow in the middle, 2 in. broad: fr.oblong, 2-6 in. long, dark brown. S. states, north to N. Y., west to Mich, and Kan. S.S. 1:15, 16. B.M. 6854. Gn. 33, p. 321. G.F. 8:495. A.G. 44:713. R.H. 1911, pp. 134, 135.—This is the only arborescent species of the genus. It is well worth a place in the garden, for its large foliage is very handsome and the fls., appearing in the early spring, are attractive. The large fr. is edible, and may be still improved by cult, and careful selection of the best varieties. Many persons do not relish the highly aromatic flavor; and the large seeds are a disadvantage. The tree has proved hardy in Mass, and Ont. One or 2 named forms have been offered.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.



Pawpaw
Common Pawpaw in fruit
Common Pawpaw in fruit
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Genus: Asimina
Species: A. triloba

Binomial name
Asimina triloba
(Linnaeus) Michel Félix Dunal

The Common pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a species of pawpaw, native to eastern North America, from southernmost Ontario and New York west to eastern Nebraska, and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas.

Description

Pawpaw is a large shrub or small tree growing to a height of 11 meters (rarely to 14 m) with a trunk diameter of 20-30 cm.

The leaves are deciduous, spirally arranged, broad lanceolate, 15-30 cm long, with an acute apex and an entire margin.

The flowers are produced in early spring at the same time as or slightly before the new leaves appear, each flower dark red, 2-5 cm diameter, with three sepals and six petals; they have a fetid smell.

The fruit is a large yellow-green berry 5-15 cm long, containing several brown, 15-25 mm diameter seeds embedded in the soft, edible fruit pulp.

Conservation status

On a global scale, the common pawpaw has a Global GRANK of G5 (Very Common).

The common pawpaw is considered a threatened species in New York, and an endangered species in New Jersey.

In Canada, it is only found in portions of southern Ontario, where it has a National NRANK of N3 (Vulnerable) and a Provincial SRANK of S3 (Vulnerable). The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has given A. triloba a general status of "Sensitive", and its populations are monitored.

Biochemistry

The fruit is rich in fatty acids, the major one being octanoate. They also contain cis-δ9- and cis-δ11-hexadecenoate, cis-δ9-, cis-δ11- and cis-δ13-octadecenoate.

The seeds have been shown to contain the chemicals asimitrin (an adjacent ring-hydroxylated bis-tetrahydrofuran acetogenin) and 4-hydroxytrilobin (an adjacent bis-THF ring with two flanking hydroxyl groups and an α,β-unsaturated γ-lactone with a 4-hydroxyl group). These chemicals seem to have selective cytotoxicity against prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3) and colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cell lines, thus may become a useful chemotherapeutic chemical for these types of cancer.

The leaves also contain toxic annonaceous acetogenins, making them impalatable to most insects. The one notable exception is the zebra swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus), whose larvae feed on the leaves. This confers protection from predation throughout the butterfly's life, as trace amounts of acetogenins remain present, making them impalatable to birds and other predators.

The bark contains other acetogenins, including asimin, asiminacin and asiminecin, which have been shown to be potent inhibitors of mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, making A. triloba a promising source of pesticide and anti-tumour compounds.

References and external links

Template:Commons