Do Pawpaws Need Two Trees? The Pollination Chart
The single most common reason a healthy pawpaw never fruits is that it is alone. Pawpaws are self-incompatible: a tree's flowers reject its own pollen, and — because grafted trees of one variety are clones — a row of five Shenandoahs is genetically one tree and will set nothing. You need two genetically different varieties within bee and beetle range, which in practice means within about thirty feet.
These 13 varieties are the ones worth pairing, and the self-fertility column is the honest answer to the question in the title: for nearly all of them it is no. Pollination is the other oddity — pawpaw flowers are maroon, faintly carrion-scented and worked by flies and beetles rather than honeybees, so fruit set is often poor even with a partner present. Growers improve it by hand: a soft brush, pollen moved from an open flower on one variety to a receptive (sticky, green-stigma) flower on the other, done in the morning. Choose two with overlapping bloom, plant them close, and expect fruit in year four or five.
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| Variety | Self-fertile | Ripens | Zones | Notes | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PA-Golden | No | Late Aug-early Sept | 4-8 | sweet, mild; yellow skin and fleshOne of the earliest-ripening and most cold-tolerant cultivars, valuable for northern growers who need fruit to mature before frost. Self-incompatible; requires a second variety to fruit. As a northern selection its true chilling requirement may exceed the listed range. | Browse growers |
| 421 | No | Sept-Oct | 5-8 | sweet, typical pawpaw custard — A wild selection found along Highway 421 near Bristol, Tennessee.In Alabama A&M's cultivar planting it was the most productive cultivar of the nine trialed, and Alabama Extension names it and Sunflower as the high-yield choices for north Alabama, which makes it a strong pick for growers in the warmer end of pawpaw's range. Trees in that trial took five years to first production. Self-incompatible. for the species-level value. | Browse growers |
| Allegheny | No | Early-mid Sept | 5-8 | sweet, rich; medium-small fruitA productive earlier-ripening Peterson selection, so it pairs well as a pollinizer for a later variety. Self-incompatible; plant with another cultivar. | Browse growers |
| KSU-Atwood | No | Mid Sept | 5-8 | sweet, complex, mango-like; smooth texture, few seedsThe first named cultivar released from Kentucky State University's pawpaw breeding program (2009), selected for consistent productivity and eating quality. Self-incompatible; plant with another variety for pollination. | Browse growers |
| NC-1 | No | Early-mid Sept | 4-8 | sweet, mild; large fruit, thin yellow skin, few seedsA cold-hardy Canadian-bred cultivar (Doug Campbell, Ontario, 1976; a Davis x Overleese cross) that ripens early and reliably, a strong choice for northern or short-season gardens. Self-incompatible; still needs cross-pollination. As a northern selection its true chilling requirement may exceed the listed range. | Browse growers |
| Overleese | No | Mid-late Sept | 5-8 | rich, aromatic; large fruit, few large seedsAn old, reliable Indiana selection producing big, richly flavored fruit in heavy clusters; a proven benchmark variety. Self-incompatible; requires a separate pollinizer. | Browse growers |
| Potomac | No | Mid-late Sept | 5-8 | sweet, rich flavor with a smooth textureA Peterson release carrying very large fruit with very good yields, listed by Clemson among the varieties suited to the Southeast. Self-incompatible, so it needs a genetically different pawpaw nearby. for the species-level value. | Browse growers |
| Rappahannock | No | Early-mid Sept | 5-8 | sweet, buttery; few seeds — Its tidy,symmetrical form with horizontally held leaves makes it one of the more ornamental and space-friendly Peterson varieties for small yards. Self-incompatible; needs a pollen partner. | Browse growers |
| Shenandoah | No | Mid Sept | 5-8 | mild, sweet, custard-like; low seedA flagship Peterson cultivar and a good beginner pick: large, firm, few-seeded fruit with a mild flavor that wins over newcomers. Like nearly all pawpaws it is self-incompatible and needs a genetically different pawpaw nearby to set fruit. | Browse growers |
| Susquehanna | No | Late Sept-Oct | 5-8 | very rich, sweet, buttery; thick flesh, few seedsProduces some of the largest fruit (often near or over 1 lb) with thick, rich flesh and a low seed count, making it a top choice for eating quality where the season is long enough to ripen it. Self-incompatible; requires a separate pollinizer. | Browse growers |
| Wabash | No | Late Sept-Oct | 5-8 | rich, creamy, complex; firm textureA late-ripening Peterson cultivar prized by enthusiasts for creamy, richly flavored pulp; requires a full growing season and, being self-incompatible, a separate pollinizer. | Browse growers |
| KSU-Benson | No | Early season | 5-8 | mango, banana and pineapple notes; orange fleshKentucky State University's second named release (2016), a round, medium-sized, early-ripening fruit with orange flesh and few seeds. Early ripening makes it a useful pick where autumn closes in before the late Peterson varieties finish. Self-incompatible; plant a second variety. for the species-level value. | Browse growers |
| KSU-Chappell | No | Mid season | 5-8 | creamy, sweet, mild banana-pineapple with floral notesKentucky State University's third release (2018), described by the breeding program as extremely vigorous and high yielding. Averaged 214 grams per fruit against Susquehanna's 180 grams over 2016-2018, at 5.9 percent seed by weight. Named for Tuskegee Airman Roy Chappell. Self-incompatible; needs a pollen partner. for the species-level value. | Browse growers |