Persea Americana

Scientific Name: Persea americana

Common Name: Avocado Tree

Family: Lauraceae

Names in other languages: Amharic (avocado); Burmese (kyese,htaw bat); Creole (zaboka); Indonesian (avokad,adpukat); Khmer (avôkaa); Malay(apukado,avokado);Swahili(mparachichi,mpea,mwembemafuta); Thai (awokado); Trade name (medang); Vietnamese (bo,lê dâù)

General Information

The avocado is a tree originating in the Americas which is likely native to the highland regions of south-central Mexico to Guatemala. It is classified as a member of the flowering plant family Lauraceae. The fruit of the plant, also called an avocado, is botanically a large berry containing a single large seed.

Features of Persea americana that make it identifiable:

Bark: Is light brown , coarse and flaky

Leaves: are 7-41 cm in length and variable in shape (elliptic, oval, lanceolate). They are often pubescent and reddish when young, becoming smooth, leathery, and dark green when mature.

Flowers: are yellowish green, and 1-1.3 cm in diameter. The many flowered inflorescence are borne in a pseudo-terminal position. The central axis of the inflorescence terminates in a shoot.

The fruit: is a berry, consisting of a single large seed, surrounded by a buttery pulp. It contains 3-30% oil

Uses

The leaves are used against dysentery, coughs, high blood pressure, liver problems, and gout. The bark is used against diarrhea while the fruits are used to lower blood cholesterol level, promote hair growth, sooth skin and treat skin conditions, and as aphrodisiac.

http://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Persea_americana.PDF