Colored Pawpaw (Asimina ×colorata)

Florida colored pawpaw

Asimina ×colorata: Florida Natural Hybrid Pawpaw Description & Facts

Growing exclusively in the sandy scrub environments of Florida, Asimina ×colorata displays an intriguing blend of characteristics inherited from its parental species.

First described by botanist K.R. Delaney, this plant is a wild hybrid resulting from the natural cross of parent species within the region.

Its presence is highly localized, making it an object of study for evolutionary biologists interested in hybrid speciation.

Taxonomy

∟ царство Plantae
∟ division Tracheophytes (Vascular Plants)
∟ subdivision Spermatophytes (Seed plants)
∟ Angiosperms
∟ magnoliids
∟ order Magnoliales
∟ family Annonaceae (Custard apple family)
∟ subfamily Annonoideae
∟ genus Asimina (Pawpaw)
∟ species Asimina ×colorata (Colored Pawpaw)

Botanical illustration

Botanical illustration
Фото: BioDivLibrary / Лицензия: Public Domain Mark

Morphology

The vegetative and floral characters of this hybrid exhibit clear intermediate traits between its parents.

Leaf shape: Oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, smaller than those of Asimina obovata but wider than Asimina pygmaea.
Petal color: Varies from creamy white to shades of rose, pink, and dark maroon.
Pubescence: Moderate reddish hair on young shoots, turning glabrous.

Flowering season

Spring

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Name

Dec

Applications

As a rare wild hybrid, this plant has no commercial or agricultural applications.

It serves primarily as an indicator species for undisturbed scrub habitat and is valued in conservation genetics and botanical research.

Interesting facts

The scientific description of this hybrid contributed significantly to understanding how different pawpaw species maintain genetic barriers despite living in close proximity.

Its unique flower pigmentation offers a visual spectrum of transition between white-flowered and maroon-flowered species in Florida.

Geography of distribution

Florida, United States

Sources

Plants of the World Online (POWO): Facilitating search and verification of Asimina ×colorata Delaney.
World Flora Online (WFO): Taxonomic indexing and status of the hybrid taxon.
IPNI / Tropicos: Naming authority and original publication details.