LAUREL FAMILY (LAURACEAE) 



51. Aguacate, avocado 



Persea americana Mill.* 



Aguacate, the well-known fruit tree planted and 

 sometimes ji-rowin<r as if wild, is characterized by : 

 (1) shiny yellow-p:reen pear-shaped or nearly 

 round fruits about 4-5 inches long and 3—4 inches 

 in diameter, with oily green and yellow flesh and 



1 very large seed: (2) elliptic, slightly thickened 

 leaves crowded near ends of twigs, slightly aro- 

 matic when crushed, 31/^-7 inches long and 2-31/4 

 inches broad, long- or short-pointed at apex and 

 short-pointed at base; and (3) numerous greenish- 

 yellow flowers about % inch across the 6 calyx 

 lobes in many lateral branched clusters. 



A small to medium-sized deciduous tree attain- 

 ing 15-30 feet in height and li/o feet in trunk di- 

 ameter, with straight axis and symmetrical nar- 

 row or rounded crown, old trees frequently lean- 

 ing. The bark is brown or gray, slightly rough 

 and fissure'd. Inner bark is orange brown, slightly 

 spicy and gritty to the taste. Twigs are green, 

 angular, and finely hairy, becoming brown. 



The leaves ai'e alternate on yellow-gi-een petioles 

 1/2-1% inches long. Blades are without teeth on 

 edges, the upper surface green to dark green, 

 slightly shiny, hairless or nearly so, and the lower 

 surface dull gray green, finely hairy on veins. 



The flower clusters (panicles) near ends of twigs 

 and shorter than leaves bear finely haii-y flowers 

 on short hairy stalks when trees are leafless or 

 nearly so. There are 6 widely spreading, greenish- 

 yellow, narrow, hairy sepals about %q inch long; 

 !) greenish-yellow stamens more than Vs inch long 

 and 3 smaller sterile stamens (staminodes) ; and 

 whitish-green pistil with 1-celled 1-ovuled ovaiy 

 and slender style. 



The heavy fruits (berries), borne singly, hang 

 down and bend the twigs by their weight. Inside 

 the thin leathery skin is the edible thick soft flesh 

 somewhat like butter. The brown elliptic or egg- 

 shaped seed is about 2-214 inches long and up to 



2 inches in diametei-. Flowering fi-om January to 

 April or May and maturing fruits from late June 

 to October. 



The sapwood is whitish and the heartwood light 

 brown. The wood is moderately soft, heavy (spe- 

 cific gravity 0.6), brittle, not durable, susceptible 

 to attack by dry-wood termites, and seldom used. 



The nutritious fruits are eaten raw as a vege- 

 table or salad, usually with salt added. They can 

 be added to soups and in Brazil are made into ice 

 cream. Hogs, other domestic animals, and wild 

 animals are fond of the fruits. Connnercial oils, 

 such as a substitute for olive oil and oil for the 

 hair, have been extracted from the pulp, which is 

 reported to have an oil content of about 14 percent. 

 The seeds yield a reddish-brown dye for marking 

 clothing. Some parts of the plant, such as leaves, 

 seeds, fruit rind, and bark, have been employed in 

 folk medicines. The fragrant flowers are attrac- 

 tive to bees and make this tree a honey plant. 



Many races, varying in size, shape, color, and 

 ()uality of fruit and time of ripening, are in culti- 

 vation. Propagation is from seed or, for the su- 

 perior varieties, by budding. 



Planted nearly throughout Puerto Rico, most 

 commonly on the coast and in the moist limestone 

 and lower mountain regions. Also in Vieques, St. 

 Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and Tortola. 



E.ANGE. — Native of tropical America, probably 

 Mexico and Central America and not West Indies. 

 Widely planted and escaping or naturalized in 

 tropical and subtropical countries throughout the 

 world, including southern Florida and Florida 

 Keys (grown commercially also in southern Cali- 

 fornia ) , throughout West Indies, and from Mexico 

 to South America. 



Other common n.ames. — pear, apricot (Virgin 

 Islands) ; aguacate (Spanish) ; palto, cura (Co- 

 lombia); palta (Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argen- 

 tina) ; huii-a-palto (Peru) ; avocado, alligator- 

 pear (United States, English) ; avocado-pear 

 (Trinidad and Tobago) ; pear, butter-pear (Brit- 

 ish Honduras) ; avocat, avocatier (French) ; 

 zaboca (Haiti) ; awacati, advocaat, pear-tree 

 (Dutch West Indies); advocaat (Surinam); 

 abacate, abacateiro (Brazil). 



Botanical synonyms. — Persea persea (L.) 

 Cockerell, P. gratissima Gaertn. f. 



A related species of the mountains of central and 

 western Puerto Rico is known as canela {Persea 

 l-rugii Mez) . This native tree has smaller elliptic 

 leaves li/^^ inches long, hairy beneath, and much 

 smaller rounded inedible fruits. 



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