Twigs: Slender, smooth, gray; leaf scars alternate, 2-ranked, more or less horseshoe-shaped, usually with 5 or less commonly 7 bundle traces.
Buds: Very narrow, dark rusty-brown, covered with golden hairs, up to ⅔ inch long, without bud scales.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades broadly lance-shaped to elliptic, short-pointed at the tip, narrowed to the base, without teeth along the edges, smooth on both surfaces, paler on the lower surface, up to 1 foot long and 6 inches broad; leafstalks short, slender, smooth.
Flowers: Borne singly when the leaves begin to unfold, up to 2 inches across, green at first, becoming deep maroon, composed of three wrinkled, leathery sepals and six similar petals.
Fruit: Oblong, thick, up to 6 inches long, greenish-yellow, with yellow edible flesh and several dark brown seeds, ripening in September.
Wood: Soft, coarse-grained, light in weight, greenish-yellow.
Use: The fruit is used as a source of food; the wood has few uses.
Habitat: Woods and thickets, often many growing together in a colony.
Range: New York across to Michigan and Iowa, south to Texas, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: Pawpaw is distinguished by its large, toothless, alternate leaves, its slender buds without bud scales, and its thick, fleshy fruits.