I visited my friend JJ’s new property somewhere in N/C Florida to check out what he had and ID whatever useful plants might be on the land.
As I walked the driveway… I spotted a rare little shrub:
A native Florida pawpaw!
I showed it to JJ and his real estate agent… then we looked around for larger trees or any that might be in bloom. After a bit of searching, JJ spotted a lovely larger specimen with flowers.
Asimina pygmaea in bloom
Altogether, we found at least 10-15 pawpaw shrubs scattered about on the forest edge. None of them was taller than 2′ in height. I sent the pictures to my friend Terri. She congratulated me on the find and identified them as “Asimina pygmaea,” the “Dwarf pawpaw.”
And… those weren’t all we found. Near the back of the property was a large area of pines and palmettos. There, we found an incredible array of small native blueberry plants. I wish I had some pictures. Maybe next time. Until then, here’s another pawpaw:
Florida dwarf pawpaw
I wonder how many people are surrounded by beautiful native plants… and have no idea? Anyone find something really cool and unexpected on their property? I’ve love to hear the story.