THE AVOCADO 69 



West Indian race. 



This race is the predominant one in the West Indies and 

 throughout the low-lying portions of the tropical American 

 mainland. It is found as far north as Florida and the Bahama 

 Islands, and as far south as central Brazil. From its home in 

 America it has been carried to Madeira, the Canary Islands, parts 

 of tropical Africa, Oceania, and the Indo-Malayan Archipelago. 

 It is much more widely disseminated than either of the other races. 

 The name South American race is sometimes applied to it, while 

 P. H. Rolfs * termed it the West Indian-South American. 



Practically all of the avocados cultivated in Florida previous 

 to the introduction of the Guatemalan were of this race. In 

 California it has never been extensively grown; only a few 

 trees, in fact, are known to have fruited in that state. It is 

 the most susceptible to frost of the three races, and is best 

 suited to cultivation at low elevations in the tropics. 



The foliage of the W'est Indian race lacks the anise-like scent 

 which characterizes the Mexican ; in general, it resembles the 

 foliage of the Guatemalan closely, but often the young branch- 

 lets and the leaves are lighter in color. The fruits are pro- 

 duced on short stems ; the smallest weigh 4 or 5 ounces, the 

 largest 3 pounds or more. The surface is nearly always 

 smooth, yellow-green to maroon in color, the skin rarely more 

 than iV inch thick, pliable and leathery in texture. The seed 

 is usually large in proportion to the size of the fruit, and often 

 loose in the seed cavity. The cotyledons are often rough on 

 the surface, with the two seed-coats frequently thick and 

 separated, at least over the pointed end of the seed, one of the 

 coats sometimes adhering to the cotyledons and the other to 

 the wall of the seed cavity. The flowers are characterized by 

 less pubescence than those of the Mexican race, but are very 

 similar to those of the Guatemalan ; sometimes they are almost 



1 Bull. 61, U. S. Dcpt. Agr. 



