Originally Posted: 2005-11-29 12:29 (no longer live)
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tree seeks tree for pollen

Cute Male/Female Paw Paw tree seeking healthy, deep rooted, non-related Paw Paw to exchange pollen in early spring. In all my 100 years, I have not been able to find such. We Paw Paw's are a very rare breed indeed, especially here in Portland. Friends of Trees please help. Humans do not even know what Paw Paw Trees are. We are usually confused with the Magnolia, or tropical Papaya Tree. They don't even know that we produce the largest (and most tasty) fruit native to North America. I am sessile (planted) and cannot forage myself, and instead, I grow flowers that depend on the very rare and flaky carrion flies and even rarer meat beetles of early spring to bring pollen from yet rarer (nonexistant?) fellow Portland Paw Paw trees. You see my dilemma. I am only able to produce one or two fruit a year, usually through not so desirable or effective process of self fertilization. This usually produces embarressingly small fruit and sterile seeds which do not grow new Paw Paw Trees. I have sent out root suckers to grow a small, cute, grove of Paw Paws (despite the driveway hindering my progress) which are all connected to me and part of myself. These, too, are unsuitable as fellow pollenators. A beautiful Tiger Swallow Butterfly larva usually feeds on me all Spring before metamorphosising into a Beautiful Butterfly in early summer. These catapillers only feed on us Paw Paws. Yet not once has this butterfly pollenated me. This year, however, I am taking preemptive action to locate a suitable suitor well ahead of time. Please, all who love the Paw Paw. Find me a fellow Tree before the start of Spring 2006!!!




post id: 114551724