Told ya’ll it’s special, and for the naysayers…the fruit is purple.
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I think this picture is bigger than 37 inches.
I have on more than one occasion found a serviceberry over 40 inches circumference and over 70 feet tall…but
looked it up and the “CHAMPION” is over 28 inches diameter!
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Wow, i’d grow that beast!
You’re right the shape of the tree is different too. I hope you can get pictures of it all leafed out it does look unusual for a pawpaw.
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Ryan,
THANK YOU! I sent a pm, but reread this message. I’m sending all 6 bags to you as you are well involved with those who have genuine interest and grafting knowledge.
For the lucky other 5 recipients per Ryan’s discretion, the bags have 8-10 waxed scion sticks, most will make 2+ pieces with 3 buds unopened, a few short sticks. All are new wood and appear viable. They were soaked for 5 minutes in a weak bleach solution and rinsed before packing. They are wrapped in damp paper, taped and in ziplocks in the fridge.
I ask only that members not screw around with this project and get these propagated ASAP. As the pics indicate, this is a special tree but at the end of it’s time.
I don’t know what a new seedling may produce in fruiting. But this is new fresh scion wood cut yesterday and packed at 2am today. And for the naysayers, the fruit is purple, and I mean DARK PURPLE. Was not able to dig young trees, will wait till fall and lift some fresh seedling from the yard.
And Randy, that handsome devil, does have the Rasputin look don’t you think? haha
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Actually I’d lift root sprouts mid summer rather than fall…but either time survival isn’t going to be 100%.
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Will do, maybe he’ll stay off the low mower settings.
To be sure the tree is special as a specimen given its huge size and open branching.
But I think it’s fair to say that its value as a clone is unknown at this point.
The branching and size may just be due to environmental factors and not genetics. Who knows if it would transfer to grafted trees.
The fruit color you said yourself you had not observed on the tree - you were describing fruit on the ground of unknown age.
So a few of us were simply saying that is inconclusive evidence of a unique skin color.
Now you are asserting still without having seen the fruit on the tree that they are purple. I think it’s still fair to want to see visual confirmation.
Certainly there is no harm in propagating the tree so people can experiment and see for themselves. it could be something super cool.
It’s not naysaying to simply say that more evidence would be preferred or that there are alternative explanations for the color (ie overripe fruit)
And certainly nothing personal on my part. 
I’m glad you have shared this info and hope it IS something special.
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Ryan has a shipment of scion wood mailed priority this afternoon…he is the appointed gatekeeper. if he chooses to share with you, that’s ok with me. I’ve done my good deed for the month on this.
I’m done with this. Aficionados or scientists, have at it.
“Expert” = Ex is a has been…Spurt is a drip under pressure
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For anyone interested in wood, pm me. If I have any unclaimed after the next week I’ll post on a few other groups, so speak up soon if you are interested.
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Thanks for sharing this Appleseed! This tree is very interesting. Please update the group this summer if you can when the tree has fruit if you can. I will reach out to Ryan and request a few scions to graft at a local patch to preserve the genetics. Also I agree with others that have recommended registering this as a state and possible national champion pawpaw tree for size.
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Gentlemen and Ladies,
Please take this opportunity to graft some of this wood. Ryan has kindly been asked to be the gate keeper, bless you Ryan and I’m sorry, haha. Regardless of the qualities of the fruit, (or lack there-of), if it doesn’t produce in a few years, I may not be around to read the results. So hurry it up, ehh?
I could use some instruction about registering this pawpaw tree. As an aside, there is a registered Signal Tree at the old spring box just feet from me. I’ll try and get that link up sometime, back to the shop.
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You should definitely register it. It’s been interesting reading this section of the thread. I’ll be meeting with Big Horse Creek to pick up my own Apple scions in the next couple weeks, and hopefully getting a few Pawpaw scions from Sparta soon as well. 'Tis the season. Fingers crossed for successful grafts, although mine are just for me, so nowhere near as much work as you’ve described.
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Your friend might want to do an analysis on the water coming out of that faucet right next to it. 
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I think a photo of the whole tree from a distance including tallest branch’s , , widest branch spread , with something like that ladder for scale in photo ( or cinder blocks of the pump house ), … so like a 6ft ladder , to scale the height, spread, trunk diameter , would help to determine if it scores high on the champion tree list . So a photo of the whole tree with something for scale . ( I think the site wants a photo from cardinal directions of whole tree , plus Breast heights trunk diameter . .) ?
Regardless it’s spectacular !
Also this would be a appropriate time to give it a name .
I propose Rasputin ( or some other ? ) since you mentioned the owner looked like him .
Or RAS for short . ? Easier to write on the label.
And has a purple ring to it , hah .
Anyhow. Before it gets spread around give it a name so we can keep track.
Seeing that tape measure at 2 Ft . Breast high . Puts it on top of my list as the biggest Pawpaw tree …
People … have different ways of measuring a tree.
Some see the tallest .
Or the biggest around …?
Or how good the fruit is …?
Board feet…?
Crookedest ?
Oldest ?
They don’t all have to be measured in any way !
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Dang, you guys giving me something else to do! This tree is in the Brushy Mountains on Brushy Mtn Rd Wilkes County, NC. I can pull the geodata from county gis. That step ladder is 5ft in picture. I’m going to ask to speak with Randy’s mother for a bit of historical info . I would like to have a picture with him and his brother Chigger next to the tree.
I don’t have a range finder to get the dimensions from the ground and I sure am not climbing past the first fork again. I fell hard yesterday in the orchard collecting scion wood right in a pile of cow dung, the good green soft kind that washes off easily.
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How about Brushy Mtn. Pawpaw? I could pull the reel tape on the ground as a measure of the crown?
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He is an eclectic country bard, and doesn’t even know it…what bliss!
From the website it looks like a N/S/E/W facing photo are needed showing the whole tree. It’s all in the application form. I think this might be the largest living pawpaw in the world.
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I’m of a similar mind. There are plenty of pawpaws out in the wild that are palatable. But once you start comparing to named cultivars, rarely do you go back. The newer cultivars have even less of the undesirable traits through either careful or haphazard breeding.
I think I’ve tried close to half of the existing named cultivars, which means I’m really still inexperienced compared to others in the pawpaw growers association who I rely on for advise. I’m convinced from my conversations, there’s nothing to really be gained from wild germplasm as far as taste goes.
All the good genetics is already out there in Lehman, KSU, Walker, Peterson, Halvin, Powell selections. The value in wild genetics would come from coloration, ripening time, bloom time, vigor, canopy shape, etc… Fruit size seems to be universally dependent on thinning or size of tree. Existing cultivars already have excellent seed to flesh ratios, and I don’t see a good chance on improving that, short of developing a seedless pawpaw.
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Thank you for the excellent notes and the pictures.
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