SOME FRUITS OF HAWAII 



5 



AVOCADO 



( Per sea americana ) 



Description: There are three races of avocados, two of which, the 

 West Indian and Guatemalan, are common in Hawaii. The following 

 key used by horticulturists ( 44, p. 4)~ shows the main differences 

 between the three races : 



(a) West Indian race. Summer and fall ripening; fruit large; 

 rind leathery and not more than one-sixteenth inch in thick- 

 ness. 



(b) Guatemalan race. Winter and spring maturing; fruit large; 

 rind one-sixteenth to one-fourth inch in thickness, woody 



in texture. i 



(c) Mexican race. Leaves small and anise-scented; fruit small 

 and thin-skinned. 



The fruit is pear-shaped, round, or obovoid and sometimes weighs 

 more than three pounds. The brilliant green skin, which changes in 

 some varieties to red, purple, or purplish-black as the fruit matures, 

 varies from smooth to warty in texture. The yellow or light green flesh 

 which surrounds the single large seed is smooth in texture and of a 

 characteristic nutty flavor. In the best varieties there is very little fiber 

 imbedded in the flesh. 



History: All races of the avocado are natives of tropical America, 

 where they have been under cultivation for many centuries. Don Marin, 

 the Spanish horticulturist who introduced many valuable plants into 

 Hawaii, is credited with having started the first avocado trees in the 

 Islands sometime before 1825 (44, p. 2). As the fruit was of poor qual- 

 ity, the avocado did not become popular until better varieties were 

 grown. In 1895 Rear Admiral Beardslee brought to Hawaii three 

 Guatemalan seedlings from which many of the present varieties have 

 been developed. In 1919 the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station 

 received through the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction of 

 the U. S. Department of Agriculture a part of a fine collection of 

 Guatemalan avocados made by Wilson Popenoe in the highlands of 

 Guatemala (44, p. 3). 



The word "avocado" is derived from the Spanish aJiuacate or agua- 

 cate, which in turn was derived from the Aztec word ahuacatl ( 50, p. 

 17). Many other spellings, such as albecata, arragato, avocato, have 

 been used by various historians. The form avocado was first used in 

 1669 by Sir Henry Sloane who speaks of the "avocado or alligator- 

 pear." Both of these names have persisted and are the ones common 

 in English-speaking countries today. As the term "alligator-pear" seems 

 objectionable, efforts are now being made to replace it by the more 

 euphonious "avocado." 



More detailed information regarding the avocado may be obtained 

 from a previous bulletin of the Hawaii Experiment Station (44). 



2 Italic numbers in parentheses refer to Literature Cited, page 129. 



