Nursery
Mail-order pawpaw specialist; KSU-licensed Benson and Chappell; order in winter for spring shipping.
Overleese Pawpaw
Wild and Heirloom
Overleese is a Wild and Heirloom variety, bred by W.B. Ward, mid to late season, ripening the first week of October in Michigan.
- Flavor
- Rich, full pawpaw flavor; long valued as a benchmark variety
- Size
- Medium, about 6 oz (170 g)
- Seed
- Fleshy (~6% seed by weight)
- Ripening
- Mid to late season, ripening the first week of October in Michigan
- Productivity
- Reliable; clusters well
- Notes
- A long-standing standard for fruit size and flavor and a parent of NC-1 and Shenandoah. Borne in clusters of three to five.
What growers say
Overleese pawpaw is a long-standing benchmark variety, valued for rich, full pawpaw flavor and a consistent, creamy texture; one grower called a ripe fruit delicious, sweet and tropical with no bitter or off flavors. Opinion is not unanimous, and one grower judged it only slightly better than its peers, but its reputation as a standard for size and flavor endures. Borne in clusters, it ripens mid to late season into early October and is a parent of both NC-1 and Shenandoah.
Since Sunflower is from Kansas, and NC-1 is a hybrid of Davis (from Michigan) x Overleese (from Indiana), the result might be a little more widely adaptable.
Today's fruit was DELICIOUS. Perfect, creamy, consistent texture. Delicious flavour, sweet and tropical, no bitter flavors or 'off' flavors.
Where to buy Overleese pawpaw trees
Overleese pawpaw trees ship from 10 nurseries. Of the 7 nurseries PawpawMap checked as of Oct 7, 2026, 1 has them in stock.
- Beautiful Beginnings NurserySold outconfirmed Oct 7, 2026 view listing
- Edible LandscapingSold outconfirmed Oct 7, 2026 view listing
- Just Fruits and ExoticsSold outconfirmed Oct 7, 2026 view listing
- One Green WorldIn stockconfirmed Oct 7, 2026 view listing
- Perry PermacultureSold outconfirmed Oct 7, 2026 view listing
- Planting Justice (formerly Rolling River Nursery)Sold outconfirmed Oct 7, 2026 view listing
- Restoring EdenSold outconfirmed Oct 7, 2026 view listing
Each line shows the date PawpawMap last confirmed that seller's stock. Spot a listing that is wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.
Nursery
Cricket Hill Garden
ShipsSelect pawpaw seedlings from named parents (Taytwo, Overleese, NC-1, IXL, Peterson); zone-6-grown stock; open Wed-Sat in season.
Nursery
Edible Landscaping
ShipsGrafted named varieties plus seedlings; plants ship potted year-round; nursery open daily.
Nursery
Grafted pawpaw trees are local pickup only. Also sells pawpaw seeds and scionwood; contact the nursery for what they will mail.
Nursery
Hidden Springs Nursery
ShipsBare-root mail-order ships November to April (dormant); pre-orders open ahead of the shipping window.
Pricing$25 to $26
Nursery
Just Fruits and Exotics
Ships In stockGrafted pawpaws; garden center plus mail order shipping nationally; growing guides and videos.
Nursery
One Green World
Ships In stockShips to all 50 states; many varieties sell by email announcement rather than open stock; retail yard open daily.
Online
PanAsiaHeirloom (Etsy)
ShipsEtsy seed shop; named-cultivar pawpaw seed (Susquehanna, NC-1, Overleese, Wells) sourced from named orchards; ships year-round.
Nursery
Grafted pawpaw trees by reservation, scions, breeding and education.
Nursery
Perry Permaculture
Ships In stockGrafted pawpaw trees ship in fall (~October); one of two MI Peterson-pawpaw licensees.
Nursery
Operates the former Rolling River Nursery; around 25 pawpaw varieties; ships nationwide.
PricingSeedlings $18
Nursery
Restoring Eden
Ships In stockNursery and garden center; pawpaw among berries, exotics, and cold-hardy citrus; ships plants year-round.
Nursery
Grafted Peterson/KSU trees; sells out fast each season.
PricingGrafted trees $45
Nursery
Grafted Peterson and KSU pawpaw cultivars, pickup from mid-June; some trees sold or shipped via eBay; hosts NOFA-NJ workshops.
Pricing$110 to $160
Related cultivars
Wild and Heirloom
Sunflower
Sweet and pleasant; a widely grown classic
Wild and Heirloom
NC-1
Sweet and full-flavored with an avocado-like consistency and little bitterness
Wild and Heirloom
Davis
Good, mild pawpaw flavor
Wild and Heirloom
Taytwo
Mild, sweet pawpaw flavor
Wild and Heirloom
Pennsylvania Golden
Classic, strong wild pawpaw flavor
Wild and Heirloom
Mango
Rich, candied-banana flavor with vivid orange-yellow pulp
Wild and Heirloom
Wells
Reported sweet, but flavor and other traits are not authoritatively documented
Wild and Heirloom
Prolific
Sweet, yellow-fleshed fruit; sets heavily, often without hand pollination
Wild and Heirloom
Taylor
Mild pawpaw flavor; yellow flesh with green skin
Wild and Heirloom
Uncle Tom
Historic selection valued more for its place in pawpaw history than for documented flavor
Wild and Heirloom
Ketter
Mild but very rich flavor, neither insipid nor cloying; medium-yellow flesh
Wild and Heirloom
Dr. Potter
Mild flavor; rich yellow flesh
Wild and Heirloom
Buckman
Mild flavor with white flesh
Wild and Heirloom
Mitchell
Wild and Heirloom
Wilson
Sweet, banana-pear flavor with a custard texture
Wild and Heirloom
Halvin
Very sweet and smooth with no aftertaste and a hint of pineapple
Wild and Heirloom
IXL
Wild and Heirloom
Rebecca's Gold
Very sweet and richly flavored
Wild and Heirloom
Lynn's Favorite
Wild and Heirloom
SAA-Zimmerman
Wild and Heirloom
Mary Foos Johnson
Wild and Heirloom
Sweet Alice
Wild and Heirloom
Horn's White
Unusually white, creamy, very sweet flesh with coconut and cherimoya notes
Last updated
Spot an error on this page? Send a correction