Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) WELLS

Pawpaw 'Wells' (syn. Wells Delight)

'Wells' is a cornerstone in the history of pawpaw domestication and a true "proven classic." This legendary wild selection shocked the horticultural community in the early 1990s when it outperformed more than 400 competing varieties in evaluations.

Pawpaw 'Wells'

It is defined by its remarkable consistency – producing bountiful yields of large, uniform fruits with a flavor profile considered the gold standard before the arrival of modern hybrids. For growers who value reliability, massive yields, and a rich historical pedigree, 'Wells' is an indispensable cultivar.

Main advantages of the variety:

• Historically proven quality (winner over 400 varieties in the 90s).
• High and very stable yield (65 fruits per tree).
• Excellent, sweet taste (20 °Brix) and smooth, orange-yellow flesh.
• Exceptional frost resistance and suitability for cold climates.
• High natural disease resistance (low maintenance).
• Large fruits (200 - 400 g under good conditions).

Origin and Breeding

• Origin: USA (Salem, Indiana).
• Discoverer: David Wells (around 1990).
• Genetics: It is a pure wild selection. Its natural vitality and fruit quality provided the basis for much of the breeding work that followed in the late 20th century.

Detailed variety description: Tree and Pollination

• Vigor: Medium strong, making it ideal for standard orchard spacing.
• Habit: It is a "workhorse" among pawpaws, known for its robustness and reliability.
• Pollination: The variety is cross-pollinated. It thrives exceptionally well when paired with other selections from Indiana or modern hybrids from Peterson or Lehman.

Fruits

• Size and weight: Medium to large. Size note: While university tests (KSU) recorded an average of around 105 g under high-density planting stress conditions, home growers and commercial catalogs routinely document fruits ranging from 200 to 400 g.
• Shape: Oval.
• Color and skin: High-quality green skin that transitions to a gentle yellow-gold at full maturity.
• Flesh: Deep orange-yellow. It has a luxurious, pudding-like consistency that is consistently smooth and fine-grained.
• Taste and aroma: Balanced, resonant sweetness that captures the pure tropical essence of the species. The sugar content is high, reaching approximately 20 °Brix.

Cultivation properties and characteristics

• Phenology:
  • Ripening: Mid-late to late variety. Ripens from mid to late September (in Kentucky).
  • Yield: High and stable. It is one of the most reliable and heavy-yielding selections available. According to KSU documentation, it averages 65 fruits per tree, even across various soil conditions.
• Resistance and requirements:
  • Frost resistance: Exceptional. Fully hardy in USDA zones 5-8. Its origin in the American Midwest guarantees the ability to handle continental winter frosts. According to expert Hans Kuijlt, it is a very good variety for cold climates.
  • Diseases: Characterized by robust disease resistance (rating 9/10). This means it requires fewer interventions and care than many modern cultivars.
  • Climate: Excellently handles summer heatwaves with high humidity.

Drawbacks of the variety:

• Cross-pollination (strictly requires planting with another pawpaw variety to ensure a crop).
• Under very high-density planting conditions, fruit size may drop toward an average of 105 g.