Asimina Adanson. Pawpaw.

Key to Asimina

A genus of about 12 species of shrubs and small trees, endemic to e. North America. A preliminary molecular analysis by Mercer et al. (2015) is flawed and should not serve as a basis for the inclusion of Deeringothamnus in Asimina. It is possible that a better division of Asimina would be as done by J.K. Small (1933), with Asimina confined to A. triloba and A. parviflora, and all other species (and including Deeringothamnus), placed in a second genus (Pityothamnus). It is likely that additional taxa will be named.

Asimina triloba and A. parviflora are the two most widespread species of Asimina in the e. US. The remainder of species occur primarily in FL and adjacent areas of GA (n. to se. SC for A. spatulata) and are typically much shorter shrubs.

ID notes:Hybrids are known between some of the species, notably A. angustifolia × incana [= A. ×nashii Kral], and should be expected where two species are present. The known hybrids between the pineland species are named as binomials and further discussed in DeLaney (2010). The hybrid A. parviflora × triloba has also been given a binomial, A. ×piedmontana C.N. Horn, and is discussed at length by Horn (2015).

Ref: DeLaney (2010a); Godfrey (1988); Horn (2015); Kessler In Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993); Kral (1960); Kral (1997) In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (1997); Mercer et al. (2015); Ward (2001); Wilbur (1970a). Show full citations.

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