Asimina angustifolia Raf. — Slimleaf pawpaw

Introduction

Slimleaf pawpaw (Asimina angustifolia) is a deciduous shrub of dry pinelands in the southeastern Coastal Plain. Tree TSAR places it in the Pygmaea Clade and uses a narrower species concept than Plants of the World Online: Tree TSAR recognizes A. spatulata separately rather than including it within A. angustifolia. Under this treatment, Slimleaf pawpaw is the predominantly eastern member of the former A. longifolia complex. (Ward, 2001; Weakley, 2023; Franck, 2026).

The species is one parent of A. × nashii with A. incana. Its very narrow leaves and upright to ascending stem architecture help distinguish typical plants from the more arching, broader-leaved spoonleaf pawpaw.

Horticultural and Agricultural Uses

Slimleaf pawpaw is principally a native pineland shrub rather than an agricultural species. Its narrow foliage and pale flowers give it horticultural interest in specialized southeastern native-plant collections, but published cultivation information is limited. Maintaining the open, sandy conditions characteristic of its native pinelands is a more defensible guide than extrapolating orchard practices from A. triloba.

Conservation Concerns

Conservation assessment is complicated by taxonomy. Kew’s current broad A. angustifolia includes A. spatulata, so broad-range status and distribution data cannot automatically be assigned to the narrower Tree TSAR concept. Tree TSAR therefore treats the conservation condition of Slimleaf pawpaw cautiously pending assessments that explicitly distinguish the two species.

Additional Information

Plants of the World Online: Plants of the World Online (opens in a new tab) - Uses a broader concept that includes A. spatulata as a synonym.
Flora of the Southeastern United States: Flora of the Southeastern United States (opens in a new tab) - Regional flora recognizing the narrow-leaved southeastern taxa separately.

References and Further Reading

Ward, D.B. 2001. New combinations in the Florida flora II. Novon 11: 360-365. DOI: 10.2307/3393047 (opens in a new tab).

Weakley, A.S. 2023. Flora of the Southeastern United States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden. Link (opens in a new tab)

Franck, A.R. 2026. Flora of Florida. University of Florida Herbarium, Florida Museum of Natural History. Link (opens in a new tab)

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Asimina angustifolia. Plants of the World Online. Link (opens in a new tab)