436 



AVICENNIA 



AVOCADO 



AVIClJNNIA (from Avicenna, the Latin name of an 

 illustrious physician of the Orient, 980-1036). Ver- 

 benacex. BLACK MANGROVE. WHITE MANGROVE. 

 Trees or shrubs usually growing in mangrove swamps 

 and on the shores of tropical estuaries, remarkable for 

 the vertical leafless breathing-stems that rise above the 

 soil from their long spreading horizontal roots. 



Leaves opposite, entire, coriaceous, persistent: fls. 

 small and inconspicuous in axillary cymes; calyx cup- 

 shaped, deeply 5-lpbed; corolla bell-shaped, whitish, 

 4-lobed ; stamens 4, inserted on the corolla-tube, exserted, 

 bearing ovate, 2-celled anthers; ovary sessile, 1-celled, 

 ovate, tapering upward into a slender 2-lobed style, and 

 containing 4 ovules suspended from a central placenta: 

 fr. ovate, oblique, opening by the ventral suture and 

 exposing the expanding embryo, before dropping off; 

 embryo with broad, fleshy conduplicate cotyledons. 

 Three species now recognized: A. nitida which reaches 

 S. Fla. and La., A. officinalis of Polynesia and the E. 

 Indies, and A. africana of the west coast of Afr. Planted 

 on the shores of estuaries to prevent washing by tidal 

 currents, they collect floating debris by means of their 

 erect breathing-sts., and by this means aid in extending 

 the shoreline seaward. 



nitida, Jacq. BLACK MANGROVE. WHITE MAN- 

 GROVE. HONEY MANGROVE. SALT-BUSH. A tree, 

 usually of moderate size but sometimes 60 to 70 ft. 

 high, with a short trunk, and spreading crooked 

 branches: inner bark bright orange-red, outer bark 

 scaly, deciduous, dark reddish brown: young branches 

 hoary-pubescent, at length glabrous and marked with 

 interpetiolar lines and conspicuous If .-scars: Ivs. oppo- 

 site, oblong or lanceolate-elliptical, gradually narrowed 

 at the base, coriaceous, deep green and glossy above, 

 whitish or grayish beneath, 2 or 3 in. long and about 

 1-1 Yi in. broad: fls. inconspicuous, fragrant, borne in 

 few-fld. spikes on angled canescent peduncles, closely 

 invested with small bracts; corolla whitish, about J^in. 

 diam. when expanded, the lobes slightly tomentose 

 on both surfaces, and the 4 anthers together with the 

 style protruding from the nearly closed throat: fr. 

 oblong or elliptic 1-2 in. long and about 1 in. broad. 

 Mangrove swamps and shores of estuaries, Fla., Miss., 

 and Texas; also Trop. Amer. The fls. are very rich in 

 honey, on which account bee-keepers in certain parts 

 of Fla. transport their entire apiaries to the coast, along 

 the Indian River during the season of blooming, which 

 occurs in June and July. The honey produced is white 

 and clear, and of excellent flavor, and always com- 

 mands the highest market-price. The embryo begins 

 to germinate while the fr. is still on the tree. When it 

 drops off, the two cotyledons unfold into a miniature 

 boat, floating on the tide, which distributes the fr. 

 along the shores of bays and lagoons and carries it to 

 the outlying keys. Crystals of salt are often deposited 

 on the Ivs., on which account this species is sometimes 

 called polo de sal, or salt-bush. \\r_ j} SAPFORD 



AVOCADO. (Perska gratissima, Gaertn.). Figs. 

 445, 446. One of the most highly valued of tropical 

 fruits. It is commonly grown in Mexico, Central 

 America, parts of South America, the West Indies, 

 and Hawaii; to a limited extent in India, Mada- 

 gascar, Reunion, Madeira, Samoa, Tahiti, Algeria, 

 Queensland, and other tropical and subtropical 

 countries. In Florida and California, its cultivation is 

 conducted commercially. See Persea. 



The avocado is considered by most authorities to be 

 indigenous to Mexico, Central America, and South 

 America to Peru and Brazil. From the Aztec ahuacatl 

 has been derived the Spanish adaptation ahuacate or 

 aguacate, the name in general use in Spanish-speaking 

 countries. Avocado is an adaptation in use in the 

 United States and other English-speaking countries; 

 avocat in the French colonies. Alligator pear is a mis- 

 leading corruption that should be dropped. 



Seedling avocados grow to a height of 50 or 60 feef 

 when budded the tree is considerably dwarfed. Tin' 

 leaves are elliptical to oblong-lanceolate, varying from 

 4 to 8 inches in length, persistent, deep green, the 

 new growth frequently wine - colored. The tree is 

 worthy of a place in every dooryard for shade and 

 ornament. The small, greenish flowers are produced 

 in great abundance on loose axillary racemes. 



The fruit is variable in form, color, and size, as well as 

 in quality and minor characters. The form ranges 

 from oblate or spherical to slender pyriform, including 

 a great variety of shapes, one of the commonest being 

 broad pyriform. The color may be light or dark green, 

 purple, crimson, or maroon. The fruit varies from 1 

 to 6 inches in diameter, and in weight from a few 

 ounces to three or four pounds. The skin is sometimes 

 soft and pliable, and no thicker than that of an apple; 



445. Avocado tree. 



in other forms it is coarsely granular, woody, and 

 }/% inch thick, in reality almost a shell. Inclosed 

 by it is a mass of yellowish pulp, of the consistency 

 of firm butter, and of delicious nutty flavor. The 

 avocado is unlike most other cultivated fruits in the 

 fact that it contains a large amount of vegetable oil, 

 sometimes as much as 18 per cent; hence it can be 

 considered more as a food than as a dessert. It is 

 used in numerous ways, the commonest being as a 

 salad, with the addition of salt, pepper and an acid. 

 Sometimes it is cut in half, the seed removed, and 

 the flesh eaten with a spoon, as muskmelons are 

 eaten, salt or other condiment being added. The 

 single, spherical or conical seed is frequently as 

 large as a hen's egg. It is provided with two more 

 or less distinct coats, which sometimes adhere to the 

 seed, and in other instances to the flesh. 



In recent years the avocado has been given systematic 

 attention in the United States, both in regard to culti- 

 vation and varieties. Previous to 1900, propagation 

 was exclusively by seed, and as the species is variable 

 when grown in this way, many trees produced inferior 



