Best Pawpaw Cultivars — Complete 2025 Commercial Variety List and Comparison

Most of the serious cultivar development work for pawpaw has been done through the Kentucky State University Pawpaw Program (KSU) and several independent breeders — Neal Peterson, Neal Lehman, Tom Wahl in Iowa, Blake Cothron, and Clifford England among others. The following data draws from the 2025 commercially available cultivar list compiled by Blake Cothron (r/Pawpaws), covering all named varieties available from nurseries as of 2025, not including introductions announced after September 2025.

Seeds vs. grafted trees: Named cultivar characteristics are only guaranteed in grafted trees. Seed-grown trees are genetically unique — they may produce excellent fruit, but it won't be identical to the parent. For guaranteed cultivar performance, buy grafted trees from a nursery. For a productive seed-grown grove with good genetic diversity for cross-pollination, seeds are the right choice.

Widely Recommended Cultivars

Cultivar	Fruit Size	Flavor Rating	Harvest	Flesh Color	Notes
Susquehanna	Very large (12–16 oz)	★★★★★	Mid-season (Sept PA)	Deep yellow-orange	Top-ranked for flavor; what we grow at Andreas. Peterson variety.
Allegheny	Medium-large (6–12 oz)	★★★★	Early (late Aug PA)	Pale yellow	Highly productive, needs thinning. 8% seed weight. Davis seedling, Peterson selection.
Shenandoah	Large (10–14 oz)	★★★★★	Mid-season	Yellow	Very sweet; 6% seed weight; low chill requirement. Peterson variety.
KSU Chappell	Large (8–16 oz)	★★★★★	Mid to late	Yellow	Extremely productive and fast grower; 5% seed weight; freestone. 3rd KSU release.
KSU Benson	Large, circular	★★★★★	Very early	Orange	Excellent rich flavor; 9% seed weight; dense bushy grower; phyllosticta resistant. 2nd KSU release.
Wabash	Large, thick	★★★★★	Mid-season	Yellow	Some consider this the best overall Peterson selection. Mild flavor; 6% seed weight; luscious.
NC-1	Large (8–14 oz)	★★★★	Early to mid	Yellow	Cold hardy; strong flavor; from Ontario, Canada. Good for zone 5.
Overleese	Large (10–16 oz)	★★★★	Mid to late	Yellow	Classic Indiana heirloom; widely available; late season.

Complete 2025 Commercial Cultivar Reference

All commercially available named cultivars as of 2025, compiled from Blake Cothron's 2025 list (r/Pawpaws). Does not include cultivars announced after September 2025. Alphabetical order.

Cultivar	Size	Season	Flesh	Breeder / Origin	Notes
Allegheny	6–12 oz	Early	Pale yellow	Peterson / KSU	Highly productive, needs thinning. 8% seed weight. Davis seedling.
Atria	Large, elongated	Mid	Yellow	Tom Wahl / Iowa	Heavy-bearing. (Shenandoah × Susquehanna) cross.
Avatar	Large	Early	Yellow	Cothron / KSU, Kentucky	Early large pawpaw with delicious flavor and fairly low seed weight.
Benny's Favorite	Average	Mid	Yellow	Lehman	Excellent flavor.
Bertria	Large	Mid	Yellow	Tom Wahl / Iowa	Heavy-bearing. Good flavor. (Shenandoah × Susquehanna) cross.
Big Ben	Giant	Mid	Yellow	Lehman (Maria's Joy × JBG)	Giant fruits, rich flavor. New 2025.
Canary 166-66	Large	Mid	Yellow	Lehman / Indiana	Produces large Sunflower-like soft fruit. Phyllosticta susceptible.
Canopus	Giant	Mid	Deep orange	Tom Wahl / Iowa	Very productive. Deep orange Susquehanna-intensity flesh, goopy texture. (Susquehanna × Shenandoah).
Cataloupe	Medium	Mid	Yellow	Walker / Kentucky	Medium sized, tasty.
Cawood	Medium-large	Mid	Yellow	Iowa	High quality fruit; difficult to find in the nursery trade.
Florence White	Medium	Early-mid	White / very pale	Wild seedling, Kentucky	Excellent caramel flavor and creamy texture. Some frost resistance.
Freebyrd	Medium-large	Mid	Yellow	Kentucky (Shenandoah seedling)	Luscious flavor and thick texture; very low seed weight. Deserves more attention.
Gran Blanc	Large	Mid	White	Quebec PawPaw group (OP Peterson seedling)	28 Brix; large white pawpaw with intensely complex aromas.
Green River Belle	Medium	Early-mid	Yellow	Wild seedling, Kentucky	Unique mild complex flavor with cinnamon notes. Some frost resistance.
Halvin	Medium	Early	Yellow	Iowa	Good choice for northern growers. Early ripening.
Honeydew	Medium	Mid	Yellow	Walker / Kentucky	Melon-like flavor. Somewhat freestone.
Horn's White	Medium	Mid	White	England / Indiana	Extremely firm; coconut flavor; high quality. Slow grower.
IXL	Large	Very late	Yellow	Unknown	Exceptional quality; vibrant complexity. Ripens very late.
Jerry's Big Girl	Very large (1–2 lb)	Mid	Yellow	Lehman	Exceptionally large, high quality.
Kentucky Champion	Large	Early-mid	Yellow	Walker / Kentucky	Good flavor. Blooms early — some cross-pollination timing issues.
Kentucky Legend-Titan	Large	Mid	Yellow	Walker	Low seed weight; good flavor; firm texture.
KSU 1-4, Pomper's Choice	Large	Mid	Yellow	KSU (4th release)	Very low seed weight; attractive luscious fruit. 2025 new release.
KSU 1-7, Dunnigan	Large, elongated	Early-mid	Yellow	KSU (5th release)	Lusciously aromatic; fast growing; higher seed count. 2025 new release.
KSU Atwood	Large	Early-mid	Yellow	KSU (1st release, Maryland seed)	Excellent flavor; 10.3% seed weight; good phyllosticta resistance.
KSU Benson	Large, circular	Very early	Orange	KSU (2nd release)	Excellent rich flavor; 9% seed weight; dense bushy habit; phyllosticta resistant.
KSU Chappell	8–16 oz	Mid-late	Yellow	KSU (3rd release)	Extremely productive and fastest-growing cultivar; 5% seed weight; freestone.
Lehman Mammoth	Very large	Mid-late	Yellow	Lehman	Very large fruits with excellent flavor and texture.
Lehman's Delight (275-48)	Large to very large	Mid-late	Yellow	Lehman	Excellent intense flavor; some exceptionally large fruit.
Mammoth X	Up to 1 lb	Mid	Yellow	England	Low seed weight. ('2-10' × 'Summer Delight') back-crossed to '2-10'. New 2025.
Mango	6–10 oz	Early (uneven N)	Yellow-orange	Georgia	Strong mango flavor; mushy texture; fast growing. Low chill requirement. Late season farther north.
Maria's Joy	8–14 oz	Early-mid	Orange	Lehman	Orange fleshed; high quality. Low chill requirement.
Marshmallow	Medium	Mid	Yellow	Walker / Kentucky	Sweet, firm texture.
Mwab	Medium-large	Mid	Yellow	England (Mango × Wabash)	Awesome flavor; heavy yield; disease resistant; low seed; color break; uniform size. New 2025.
NC-1	8–14 oz	Early-mid	Yellow	Ontario, Canada	Cold hardy; strong flavor; mid season. Good for zone 5.
Nyomi's Delicious	Large	Very early	Light yellow	England / Berea, KY	Very early ripening; high quality. Low chill requirement.
October Moon (275-17)	Large	Late	Yellow	Lehman	Late ripening.
Overleese	10–16 oz	Mid-late	Yellow	Indiana heirloom	Classic older cultivar; large high quality fruit; widely available.
Pennsylvania Golden	Large	Early-mid	Yellow	Pennsylvania	Series of 4; #3 recognized as superior. Good for northern areas.
Potomac	Large	Late	Yellow	Peterson	4% seed weight; some fruit splitting reported. Low chill requirement.
Prima 1216	Medium-large	Late	Yellow	Italy	Firm; 5% seed weight; thick skin. Low chill requirement.
Quaker Delight	Medium	Mid	Yellow	Ohio	Good flavor.
Ralph's Whopper	Large	Mid	Yellow	Jeremy Lowe / Kentucky	Excellent flavor; thick texture.
Rappahanock	Medium-large	Mid	Yellow	Peterson	6% seed weight. Variable quality by region; said to do well in VA, MD, NC.
Regulus	8–16 oz	Mid	Yellow	Tom Wahl / Iowa	Heavy-bearing; exceptional flavor; thick skin; low seed count. (Shenandoah × Susquehanna).
Rigel	8–16 oz	Mid	Yellow	Tom Wahl / Iowa	Low seed weight; exceptional flavor; thick skin. (Shenandoah × Susquehanna).
Sam Norris #7	Large	Mid	Unknown	Lehman	Breeding stock; used to increase fruit/flower size; may be tetraploid. Fruit quality unknown.
Shenandoah	10–14 oz	Mid	Yellow	Peterson	6% seed weight; high quality; widely praised. Low chill requirement.
Sri Gold	Large	Mid	Bright yellow	Cothron / Kentucky	Tropical flavor; thick gummy-bear texture; low seed weight; productive.
Summer Delight	Small-medium	Very early (July)	Yellow	Kentucky	Claims July ripening. Slow grower.
Sunflower	6–10 oz	Early-mid	Pale yellow	Kansas heirloom	Good flavor; used in KSU breeding; slightly bitter aftertaste. Low chill requirement.
Susquehanna	12–16 oz	Mid (Sept PA)	Deep yellow-orange	Peterson	Top flavor scores; very low seed weight; firm thick skin. Considered among best overall.
Tallahatchie	Medium-large	Mid	Yellow-cream	Peterson	Creamy texture; tropical flavor; 5% seed weight. Good for processing.
Tropical Treat	6–10 oz	Late	Yellow	Walker / wild, Kentucky	Exceptional tropical flavor; late ripening.
VE-21	Average	Very early	Yellow	Lehman	Good flavor; very early season.
Wabash	Large, thick	Mid	Yellow	Peterson	6% seed weight; luscious; thick fruit. Some consider best overall Peterson selection.
Wells	6–9 oz	Mid-late	Yellow	—	Reliable; decent flavor; good for colder zones.
Windstar	Large	Mid	Yellow	England / Kentucky	Low seed weight; tasty.

Choosing Cultivars for Your Orchard

For best flavor: Susquehanna and Shenandoah consistently lead blind taste tests. If flavor is the priority, start here.
For extended season: Pair an early variety (Allegheny, Mango, NC-1) with a mid or late variety (Susquehanna, Overleese). This spreads harvest over 4–6 weeks instead of 2–3.
For reliable production: NC-1 and Allegheny are workhorses — consistent heavy croppers that perform year after year without drama.
For cross-pollination setup: Any two of the above from different cultivars will cross-pollinate each other. The Susquehanna + Allegheny pairing is well-tested and works reliably.
For zone 5: NC-1, Allegheny, and Shenandoah have all performed well at the colder end of the hardiness range.

Seed-Grown vs. Grafted: Which to Choose

This is a practical decision based on what you want out of your planting:

Buy grafted if: You want guaranteed cultivar characteristics, shorter time to fruiting (3–5 years vs. 5–8), or specific known genetics
Buy seeds if: You want to grow a diverse grove, build your own rootstock, establish a naturalistic planting, or simply prefer growing from seed — and you're patient about the timeline
Our seeds: Grown from a mix of named and wild trees at our Andreas, PA orchard — currently Susquehanna, Allegheny, Shenandoah, and wild-grown stock, with more cultivars coming online each season. Each seed is genetically unique. Not clones, but strong mixed parentage.

Detailed Cultivar Profiles

Pennsylvania Orchard Seeds — Mixed Heritage

Pre-stratified seeds from our Andreas, PA orchard. Parent trees include Susquehanna, Allegheny, Shenandoah, and wild-grown stock — cross-pollinating freely in the same orchard. Each seed is a genetically unique individual. More named cultivars added each season as the orchard grows.

Order Seeds — $15 per 10 Seeds