Dwarf pawpaw (Asimina pygmaea) observed in Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve Trail, Cedar Key, FL, US
iNaturalist: travler561
Native Plants
Dwarf pawpaw is one of the few native fruit-bearing shrubs adapted to Florida's harsh, sandy scrub — if you're restoring a dry or fire-maintained yard, it's a low-water native that supports specialist bees and zebra swallowtail butterflies.
Someone spotted and documented a Dwarf pawpaw growing wild along a trail at a Florida state reserve near the Gulf Coast. This small shrub is a close relative of the common pawpaw but stays low to the ground and thrives in dry, sandy scrub habitat — a tough environment most plants can't handle. Finding it in a protected reserve is a good sign that this rare plant is holding on in one of its last remaining wild homes.
Key Findings
Research-grade observation confirmed Dwarf pawpaw (Asimina pygmaea) presence at Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve Trail, Cedar Key, FL
Observation contributes citizen-science documentation for a rare, Florida-endemic scrub species with a restricted native range
Sighting is within a protected state reserve, suggesting habitat conservation is supporting persistence of this scrub-specialist plant
chevron_right Technical Summary
A research-grade observation of Dwarf pawpaw (Asimina pygmaea) was recorded at Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve Trail in Cedar Key, Florida — documenting this rare, scrub-adapted native shrub in a protected coastal habitat.
Abstract Preview
Research-grade observation of Dwarf pawpaw in Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve Trail, Cedar Key, FL, US.
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Species Mentioned
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Asimina pygmaea, the dwarf pawpaw or gopher berry, is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to Florida and Georgia in the United States. William Bartram, the American naturalist who first formally described the species using the basionym Annona pygmaea, named it after its dwar...