diff --git a/pandera/engines/pandas_engine.py b/pandera/engines/pandas_engine.py
index 35fae1194..2f3c6bc23 100644
--- a/pandera/engines/pandas_engine.py
+++ b/pandera/engines/pandas_engine.py
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
     Union,
     cast,
 )
+from mypy.types import UnionType
 
 import numpy as np
 import pandas as pd
@@ -60,7 +61,6 @@
 else:
     from typing_extensions import TypedDict  # noqa
 
-
 try:
     from typing import Literal  # type: ignore
 except ImportError:
@@ -1330,3 +1330,39 @@ def __init__(  # pylint:disable=super-init-not-called
 
     def __str__(self) -> str:
         return str(NamedTuple.__name__)
+
+
+@Engine.register_dtype(equivalents=[UnionType, Union, "UnionType", "union"])
+@dtypes.immutable(init=True)
+class PythonUnion(PythonGenericType):
+    """A datatype to support python generics."""
+
+    type = UnionType
+
+    def __init__(  # pylint:disable=super-init-not-called
+        self, generic_type: Optional[Type] = None
+    ) -> None:
+        if generic_type is not None:
+            object.__setattr__(self, "generic_type", generic_type)
+
+    def check(
+        self,
+        pandera_dtype: dtypes.DataType,
+        data_container: Optional[PandasObject] = None,
+    ) -> Union[bool, Iterable[bool]]:
+        """Check that data container has the expected type."""
+        pandera_dtype = Engine.dtype(pandera_dtype)
+
+        pandas_types = [object]
+        pandas_types.extend(
+            self.generic_type.__args__  # pylint: disable=no-member
+        )
+
+        # the underlying pandas dtype must be an object
+        if pandera_dtype not in map(Engine.dtype, pandas_types):
+            return False
+
+        if data_container is None:
+            return True
+        else:
+            return data_container.map(self._check_type)  # type: ignore[operator]
diff --git a/tests/core/test_dtypes.py b/tests/core/test_dtypes.py
index dbcfac26e..1aeb5fa3c 100644
--- a/tests/core/test_dtypes.py
+++ b/tests/core/test_dtypes.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 import re
 import sys
 from decimal import Decimal
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, NamedTuple, Tuple
+from typing import Any, Dict, List, NamedTuple, Tuple, Union
 
 import hypothesis
 import numpy as np
@@ -733,17 +733,44 @@ class PointTuple(NamedTuple):
             "tuple_column": pa.Column(Tuple[int, str, float]),
             "typeddict_column": pa.Column(PointDict),
             "namedtuple_column": pa.Column(PointTuple),
+            "column_union_float": pa.Column(Union[str, float]),
+            "column_union_str": pa.Column(Union[str, float]),
+            "column_union_obj": pa.Column(Union[str, float]),
         },
     )
 
     data = pd.DataFrame(
         {
-            "dict_column": [{"foo": 1, "bar": 2}],
-            "list_column": [[1.0]],
-            "tuple_column": [(1, "bar", 1.0)],
-            "typeddict_column": [PointDict(x=2.1, y=4.8)],
-            "namedtuple_column": [PointTuple(x=9.2, y=1.6)],
+            "dict_column": [{"foo": 1, "bar": 2}, {"foobar": 3}],
+            "list_column": [[1.0], [2.0]],
+            "tuple_column": [(1, "bar", 1.0), (2, "foobar", 2.0)],
+            "typeddict_column": [
+                PointDict(x=2.1, y=4.8),
+                PointDict(x=2.5, y=9.0),
+            ],
+            "namedtuple_column": [
+                PointTuple(x=9.2, y=1.6),
+                PointTuple(x=2.5, y=1.4),
+            ],
+            "column_union_float": [1.0, 2.0],
+            "column_union_str": ["foo", "bar"],
+            "column_union_obj": [12.0, "foo"],
         }
     )
 
     schema.validate(data)
+
+    float_or_str_schema = pa.DataFrameSchema(
+        {
+            "column_union": pa.Column(Union[str, float]),
+        },
+    )
+
+    int_data = pd.DataFrame(
+        {
+            "column_union": [1, 2],
+        }
+    )
+
+    with pytest.raises(pa.errors.SchemaError):
+        float_or_str_schema.validate(int_data)
diff --git a/tests/strategies/test_strategies.py b/tests/strategies/test_strategies.py
index 279185e7d..ab2ff2864 100644
--- a/tests/strategies/test_strategies.py
+++ b/tests/strategies/test_strategies.py
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
         pandas_engine.PythonTuple,
         pandas_engine.PythonTypedDict,
         pandas_engine.PythonNamedTuple,
+        pandas_engine.PythonUnion,
     ]
 )
 SUPPORTED_DTYPES = set()