Persea americana

Evergreen trees to about 10 m tall; Bark gray-green, longitudinally split. Leaves alternate, oblong, elliptic, ovate or obovate, 8 -- 20 x 5 -- 12 cm, apex acute, base cuneate, acute to suborbicular, leathery, green above, often slightly pale below, sparsely covered above when young and very dense yellowish-brown pubescent below, glabrous above when old, sparsely puberulent below, pinnate veins, The midvein in the upper lower depression, the upper flat, obviously protruding below, side veins each side 5-7, in the above micro uplift below is very protruding, transverse veins and veins in the above obviously protruding below; Petiole 2-5 cm long, ventrally slightly grooved, slightly pubescent. Inflorescences cymose panicles 8 -- 14 cm long, mostly at lower part of branchlets, sessile, peduncle 4.5 -- 7 cm long, covered with yellow-brown pubescent axons at each order; Bracts and bracteoles linear, ca. 2 mm, densely yellow-brown pubescent. Flowers pale greenish yellow, 5-6 mm long, pedicels up to 6 mm, densely tawny pubescent. Perianth densely yellow-brown pubescent on both surfaces, perianth tube conical, ca. 1 mm, perianth lobes 6, oblong, 4 -- 5 mm, apex obtuse, outer wheels 3 slightly smaller, all thickened and caducous after anther. Fertile stamens 9, ca. 4 mm, filaments filiform, flat, densely puberulent, anthers oblong, apex obtuse, 4-locular, first and second stamen filaments glandless, anthers indoor, third stamen filaments with a pair of flat orange ovate glands at base, anthers outdoor. Staminodes 3, located at inner wheel, arrowhead cordate, ca. 0.6 mm, glabrous, sessile, ca. 1.4 mm, sparsely pubescent. Ovary ovoid, ca. 1.5 mm, densely sparsely pubescent, style 2.5 mm, densely sparsely pubescent, stigma slightly enlarged, disk-like. Fruit large, usually pear-shaped, sometimes ovate or globose, 8-18 cm long, yellowish-green or reddish brown, exocarp corky, mesocarp fleshy, edible. Flowering period in February - March, fruit in August - September.

Native to tropical America; It is cultivated in Guangdong (Guangzhou, Shantou, Haikou), Fujian (Fuzhou, Zhangzhou), Taiwan, Yunnan (Xishuangbanna) and Sichuan (Xichang). It is also cultivated in the Philippines, southern Soviet Union and central Europe.

Fruit for a high nutritional value of fruit, containing a variety of vitamins, rich in fat and protein, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium content is also high, in addition to eat raw fruit can also be used as dishes and canned; Kernel fatty oil, non-drying oil, mild aroma, specific gravity 0.9132, saponification value 192.6, iodine value 94.4, non-saponification content 1.6%, for food, medicine and cosmetic industry.