I am a large perennial shrub or tree growing to 35 ft, and am a member of the Magnoliales order. My native habitat stretches from the Southeast, through Pennsylvania and the East Coast and parts of the upper Midwest. I am often found growing in deep fertile bottom lands, as well as hilly upland areas. My growth pattern is to form a dense thicket of tall slender trees and often provide an understory component in my preferred habitats.
I have large, simple leaves and the largest edible fruit indigenous to the US. My leaves cluster symetrically at the ends of my branches. They are wedge shaped at the base and are alternate and spirally arranged. Being deciduous, my leaves turn a rusty yellow in the fall. Otherwise they are wedge shaped at the stem, with a grey rusty underneath and a hairy upper surface.
My flowers are quite unusual, in fact I often resemble a maroon Campanula when in bloom. They are 1-2″ across, rich red-purple or maroon in color…and are produced in spring from April to May just before the leaves appear. My flowers are composed of three sepals and six petals, arranged in two tiers and are pendulous.
Pollination is somewhat different for me in that the yeasty smell of my flowers attracts more blowflies, fruitflies, carrion beetles than honey bees. I am reasonably shade tolerant and my leaves, twigs and branches have a slight disagreeable odor when handled.
My fruit has been described as being showy and the main distinguishing factor in giving me my common name.
Please post your answers as a comment. The usual bragging rights go to the one with the correct answer.
Monroe County Master Gardener Association 
OK think it is Asimina triloba, or commonly know as the PawPaw.
“Yeasty”? How about downright stinky?!! Pretty though!
Congrats to Debi on correctly identifying Asimina triloba, or PawPaw as the Mystery Plant.
We have two specimens in the east-side native tree garden, just about 30 ft north of the dumpster. The one in flower is more of a shrub, whereas the other is well on its way to being a small tree.
I think the clue to this plant’s identification was the mention of it having the largest fruit indigenous to the US. Yes, Sue is correct about the odor of the flower. It is not as bad as the Carrion Plant…but I shot this early in the morning on a cold day!
The fruit and the brown flowers make it worth having somewhere around the garden. The edible fruit is usually 2-6″ long, about 3″ wide and when ripe, is composed of sweet yellow flesh and two rows of 1/2″ long dark brown hard seeds. The fruits start developing as soon as flowering is over…are initially green and grow in clusters of 2-3. They mature in September to October and turn a yellow or brown color. They are so heavy, they actually bend the supporting branches.
Long a staple of the Native Americans, the Spanish de Soto expedition first recorded them as food in 1541…according to Wikipedia!
My thanks to Jennie for alerting me to this plant when it was in flower…just another of the surprises we have in our gardens.
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