Plants - Pacific Northwest

Persea Americana - Avocado

Note: These plants can be dangerous if improperly used. The author, and/or ernestartist.org assume no liability for experimentation of use.

Plate 176 Plate 177

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Persea Americana: Avocado, alligator pear, (French: l’avocat, Spanish: aguacate)

Origin and geographical distribution: Central and South America, Mexico. Now cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions.

Status: Cultivated, moderns cultivars.

Description: Tree to 16 m, propagation by seeds (germination in 21 days) and grafting. Fruit spherical, ovoid, ellipsoid, or pyriform, 8-20 cm long; green, red, or purple, with a creamy yellow or whitish pulp.

Uses: Pulp eaten fresh in salads and desserts. The fruit is highly nutritious (139 Kcal/100 g, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins). In this respect, it can be compared with milk and eggs. The seed is rich in tannins, and used as a cloth dye or to treat diarrhea. The leaves have anti-tussive properties and increase biliar secretions. Their decoction is reduces arthritis pains. The oil is used for skin and hair care (hair fall), and reduces gout pain. The wood is used for making furniture.

Avocado (Persea americana) is a common exotic fruit. The seeds are often planted to produce foliage plants in households. In California, Guatemalan cultivars have caused toxic affects in cattle, goats, rabbits, canaries, and fish. Family pets should be prevented from ingesting the leaves. The seeds have caused toxicity and death in canaries and have experimentally poisoned mice. Leaves should not be allowed to fall accidentally into fish tanks.

Farm animals ingesting avocado leaves and bark has caused lung congestion, mastitis, tissue edema, milk reduction, and death (when large quantities of leaves were consumed). Other mammal species that were poisoned after ingesting avocado showed similar symptoms.