Bui. 743, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate V. 



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An Avocado Tree during the Flowering Season. 



At the time of coming into flower the Guatemalan avocado commonly sheds most of its foliage, the 

 new growth which appears bringing with it flowers as well as foliage to replace that which has 

 been lost. The fruit is generally considered to be ripe when the tree comes into bloom, but it will 

 remain on the tree for several months longer if allowed to do so, the flavor becoming richer with the 

 passage of each month. The tall, slender tree here shown illustrates the common form which 

 the avocado assumes in the moist climate of northern Guatemala. (Photographed at Purula, 

 Baja Vera Paz, Guatemala, March 27, 1917; P17159FS.) 



