Don't know what this is but I think somebody was looking for it.

Seneca trial in Great Falls. Take the gravelly road trial down to the river. After the first turn by the river make a left on to a dirt trail. Turn right and follow the path be the river. There are a lot of mystery fruits.
Attachments:

Why, that's a fecalicitus momendarus, better know as a shittermelon.

Better size pic. Sorry I was really drunk when I posted the first pic.
Attachments:

Its a galaxy fruit, telling you its time to upgrade your s2.

Need a bigger pic.

That one didn't quite use all of my data plan for the month.

It's a paw paw.

Paw paws are delicious. Has a banana custardy taste.

Only a Yankee wouldn't recognize a paw paw.

Look, you fools. You're in danger. Can't you see? They're after you. They're after all of us. Our wives, our children, everyone. They're here already. YOU'RE NEXT!
Attachments:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/09/29/140894570/the-pawpaw-foraging-for-americas-forgotten-fruit

So what the heck is a pawpaw?

Recently, I heard about a secret snack. Kayakers who paddle the waters near Washington, D.C., told me about a mango-like fruit that grows along the banks of the Potomac — a speckled and homely skin that hides a tasty treat.

A tropical-like fruit here, really? Yep. It's the only temperate member of a tropical family of trees. You can't buy the pawpaw in stores, so for years, the only way to eat them was straight from the tree.

More Tiny Desk Kitchen

A cow munches on grass at a Berryville, Va., farm.
Your Health
The Truth About Grass-Fed Beef
Cranberry bog
Your Health
Bow Down To The Medicinal Power Of Cranberries
A bee pollinates a wildflower.
Radio Pictures
Healing Honey And The New Queen Bee(keepers)
I was intrigued. So I decided to hunt for a pawpaw myself.

D.C. nature guide Matt Cohen showed me how to find them.

We took the Billy Goat Trail on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. "Wow," was the first word out of my mouth when I tasted one we found on our hike. It's sort of mango-meets-the-banana ... with a little hint of melon.

Although you may not have heard of it, the pawpaw has quite a history. Thomas Jefferson had pawpaws at Monticello. And when he was minister to France in 1786, he had pawpaw seeds shipped over to friends there. He probably wanted to impress his friends with something exotic from America.

Lewis and Clark wrote in their journals that they were quite fond of the pawpaw. At one point during their expedition in 1806, they relied on pawpaws when other provisions ran low. And from Michigan to West Virginia, people have even named towns and lakes after the pawpaw.

How do you know when they are ripe? I know where there is a stash of them.

ididthistomyself Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How do you know when they are ripe? I know where
> there is a stash of them.

I used to take a small paper bag with me while squirrel
hunting in Ohio and I'd find plenty.

Here you go. Don't tell anybody where your stash is. :)
You can also Google paw paw recipes for some good ones.

http://www.messyandpicky.com/index.php/2009/10/01/paw-paw/

Why is it that such a unique US friut is not cultivated and exploited on giant plantations?

Can you plant one of the fruits and grow a paw paw tree?

Can I dig up a paw paw sapling and transplant it in my yard?

Does it attract any undesirable bugs, wildlife or ethnicities?

Thanks in advance.

Peter Paw Paw Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why is it that such a unique US friut is not
> cultivated and exploited on giant plantations?
>
> Can you plant one of the fruits and grow a paw paw
> tree?
>
> Can I dig up a paw paw sapling and transplant it
> in my yard?
>
> Does it attract any undesirable bugs, wildlife or
> ethnicities?
>
> Thanks in advance.

Answers, in order:

- The fruit spoils quickly and processing en masse wouldn't be feasible*

- Yes

- Sure, but it will die unless your yard is a wet, well-drained loamy hill next to water

- They smell when they rot and, yes, attract bugs

* I heard a rumor that some hippie possibly in the local "farmers" market world sells paw paws. My hunch is that he's not cultivating them, but picking a handful and selling them to unknowing yuppie trash.

Peter Paw Paw Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why is it that such a unique US friut is not
> cultivated and exploited on giant plantations?
>
> Can you plant one of the fruits and grow a paw paw
> tree?
>
> Can I dig up a paw paw sapling and transplant it
> in my yard?
>
> Does it attract any undesirable bugs, wildlife or
> ethnicities?
>
> Thanks in advance.

They only last a very short time, so Large market wont work, I bought 2 trees from a nursery, (special order) and am now just getting some fruit, next year I should have a larger crop. The seeds could take 10 years to produce fruit and even then you need Beetles and flies to pollinate the blossom, Bees are not attracted to the Rotten meat smell of the Blossom. When they get soft (think over ripe peach) they are ripe. They are also very similar to Sasafras trees, they live in the under canopy of a forest. Paw Paw West Virginia was named after them. As for attracting anything no, its a treat only few know about but in suburbia many don't know what a Fruit Tree is.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/2014 11:47PM by Burke Brat.

Yup we folks from 'round here know about the secret pawpaw...pa said don't tell them ignorant Yankees about 'em too. My buddy and I were catfishing one day, snacking on some pawpaw, the amigos saw us eat some, came back the next week and all the fruit from nearby trees was gone. Pa was wrong I guess. Love me some pawpaw though too much can make ya poo. Bye now y'all...

Sorry to disappoint, but you found my left nut. I'd like it returned. Please keep it our of your mouth. That's not my thing.

+1000

That is the first thing that popped into my head. Invasion of the body snatchers..