Hello All,
Here is a little theory and a worthwhile trial for someone living in a climate that
can grow Paw Paws:
Many folks have commented on how Paw Paw are pollinated by flies that are attracted
to the smell of rotting flesh, but the problem is how to keep a carcass around etc.
Well, I think there may be a cooperative relationship between Paw Paws and a vine
in the Lily Family, Smilax herbacea, or Carrion-flower. It grows in the same
enviroments as Paw Paw thickets/trees and climbs to about six feet. It emits a
strong smell of rotting flesh. Whether this chemically registers in the insect
world seems worth testing. Carrion-flower is hardy into at least Southern Maine and
I think as far south as Virginia, maybe farther. Same genus as Greenbrier, Smilax
rotundifolia. Vines climbing your Paw Paws? Sounds nifty !!
Heron Breen
zone 4, MAINE
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