Overleese Pawpaw

Overleese is usually described as a wild selection found by W.B. Ward in Rushville, Indiana, and it remains one of the most widely available older pawpaw cultivars. That said, Neal Peterson — the breeder behind the modern Peterson Pawpaw line, also documented in this database — has genuinely disputed the "wild" origin story, pointing out that Indiana was a real hotspot for early pawpaw breeding activity at the time, with other named breeders and selections (including Arthur W. Osborne's "Osborne" variety) originating from communities just miles away. Long-term Missouri variety trials found Overleese produces large fruit with excellent flavor and relatively few seeds, though the same trials found it struggled with long-term tree survival and growth compared to other varieties tested alongside it.