Pawpaw vs papaya
A pawpaw and a papaya are two different fruits that happen to share a nickname. The North American pawpaw is Asimina triloba, a cold-hardy tree in the custard-apple family. The papaya is Carica papaya, an unrelated tropical plant. They look different, taste different, and grow in different climates. Here is how to keep them straight.
The quick answer
If you are in the United States reading about a fruit that grows wild in the woods, that is the true pawpaw, not a papaya. The two are not related beyond both being flowering plants. The mix-up comes entirely from the shared common name: in Australia, New Zealand, and much of Africa, "pawpaw" is what people call the papaya, while in North America it means the native Asimina triloba.
Side by side
| Pawpaw | Papaya | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Asimina triloba | Carica papaya |
| Plant family | Annonaceae (custard-apple family) | Caricaceae (papaya family) |
| Where it grows | Native across the eastern United States and into southern Ontario; cold hardy | Tropical and subtropical; frost sensitive |
| The plant | A small deciduous understory tree, 15 to 25 feet | A fast-growing, palm-like herb, not a true tree |
| Fruit look | Green, oblong, mango or kidney shaped, in clusters | Green to yellow-orange, larger and often pear shaped |
| Flesh and seeds | Pale gold custard flesh; two rows of large brown seeds | Orange flesh; a cavity of small round black seeds |
| Flavor | Banana and mango with vanilla or melon; sweet, custardy | Milder and muskier, sometimes musky-sweet |
| Season | Late August into October; ripe fruit lasts only days | Available year round in stores |
Why the names collide
Early European settlers in North America named the pawpaw after the papaya because the soft, tropical-tasting flesh reminded them of the fruit they already knew. The name stuck to a plant that is botanically nothing like a papaya. To this day, seed catalogs and recipes from different countries use "pawpaw" for both, so it always pays to check which fruit is meant. A temperate tree with maroon spring flowers and green clustered fruit is the pawpaw; a frost-tender plant with big orange-fleshed fruit is the papaya.
How to tell them apart in hand
- Cut it open. A pawpaw has pale gold custard flesh and two rows of large brown seeds. A papaya has orange flesh around a cavity of many small round black seeds.
- Smell and taste. Pawpaw reads as banana and mango with vanilla; papaya is milder and muskier.
- Consider the season and source. A fresh pawpaw shows up at a farmers market or farm stand for a few weeks in early fall. A papaya is in the grocery store year round.
Common questions
Is a pawpaw the same as a papaya?
No. A pawpaw is Asimina triloba, a cold-hardy North American tree in the custard-apple family. A papaya is Carica papaya, an unrelated tropical plant in its own family. They are different fruits that happen to share a nickname.
Why is a papaya sometimes called a pawpaw?
In parts of the world, including Australia, New Zealand, and much of Africa, "pawpaw" (or "paw paw") is a common name for the papaya. In North America, "pawpaw" almost always means the native Asimina triloba. Same word, two very different fruits, which is the whole source of the confusion.
Do pawpaw and papaya taste the same?
No. A ripe pawpaw tastes like banana and mango with a vanilla or melon note and a custard texture. Papaya is milder and muskier. If you want the full flavor picture, see what a pawpaw tastes like.
Are pawpaw and papaya related?
Only loosely, as flowering plants. They sit in different botanical families: the pawpaw in Annonaceae (with cherimoya and soursop) and the papaya in Caricaceae. They are not close relatives and did not evolve together.
Can you grow a pawpaw where you grow a papaya?
Usually not in the same place. Pawpaws are cold hardy and actually need a real winter chill, while papayas are tropical and die in frost. If you are in a temperate part of the United States, the pawpaw is the one you can grow. Check with our grow checker.
Keep going
- What is a pawpaw?
- What does a pawpaw taste like?
- How to identify a pawpaw tree
- Find fresh pawpaws near you
Botany grounded in standard references for Asimina triloba (Kentucky State University Pawpaw Program) and Carica papaya.
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