emmanuel villegas enh 101 - university of california, davis

My favorite tree

Emmanuel Villegas

ENH 101

Family: Lauraceae (The laurel family) Genus: Persea Specific epithet: americana Common name: Avocado (a.k.a. Butter Pear,

Alligator Pear

In California two races of avocados are grown: Guatemalan (P.a. guatemalensis) and Mexican (P.a. drymifolia).

Relatives: Cinnamon, Camphor, Bay Laurel, Sassafras, Spice Bush

Evergreen Drops old leaves after

growing new ones

Shiny elliptic leaves 4-8 inches long

Medium sized up to 60 feet

Little greenish flowers Not at all showy

Bacon Don Gillogly Fuerte Gwen Hass Holiday Jim Kahaluu Mexicola Murashige Nabal Pinkerton Reed Sharwil Stewart Wertz Whitshell Yamagata Zutano

Light: likes full sun Moisture: Must grow

in well-drained soil Need frequent watering Allow soil to dry before

deep watering Hardiness: Zones 8-11

Mexican variety is most hardy

West Indian is least Propagation: Grafting,

from seed Graft to seedling

or clonal rootstock Suspend seed in water

until it germinates

Mexico is the largest producer of avocados in the world Producing around 1,040,390

metric tons a year

The avocado got its name from the nahuatl word ‘ahuacatl’ which means testicle Because of the shape of

the fruit

Two flower types(A and B) Depending on the time of

day the flower opens

Flowers Open twice: First the female part (pistil) ripens

and opens; then the flower closes. About 24 hours later it opens again with

the ripe stamens releasing their pollen.

95% of U.S. avocado production is in Southern California 60% in San Diego County

Leaves Stunt, yellow, wilt,

drop permanently

Turn brown, die (often on one side)

Bleached, blanched, discolored, stippled

Chewed, tied with silk

Causes Armillaria root rot;

Root and crown rot; Root lesion nematode

Verticillium wilt

Avocado brown mite; Avocado sixspotted mite; Persea mite; Greenhouse thrips

Omnivorous looper, Orange tortrix; Fruit-tree leafroller; Western avocado leafroller

Bark and branches Twigs with elongated

lesions, bark splits, necrotic streaks

Brownish, gray, orange, reddish, tan, or white encrustations on bark; stunted, declining, or dead branches

Fruit Irregular brownish or

leathery scarring

Causes Bacterial blight and

canker

California red scale, Dictyospermum scale, Greedy scale, Latania scale

Cause Avocado thrips

Sticky honeydew and blackish sooty mold on foliage Possible decline and

dieback on twigs and branches

Copius white waxy material present, leaves may yellow and wither

Cottony or waxy material on plant

Causes

Black scale; Brown soft scale;European fruit lecaneum; Hemispherical scale

Giant whitefly; Greenhouse whitefly; Mulberry white fly; Nesting whitefly Redbanded whitefly

Mealybugs, Pink hibiscus mealybug, Vine mealybug

[I love the avocado fruit]

Is an oily berry Is pear-shaped to roundDoes not ripen on the treeCan be small or bigHas dark green to deep

brown skin It can take up to 5-13 years

for a tree to bear fruit

Avocado can be used in many dishes to add flavor and buttery goodness They can also be eaten raw, just take a spoon

and dig in!

Avocados can be added to: Sandwiches Salad Sushi Fruit salad Main dishes

Avocados can be eaten as guacamolewith chips

Can be added to bread and eatenas a snack

Can be added to chicken wraps

Avocados Meat

Have all the essential amino acids

Are water and fiber rich; non-constipating

Have no cholesterol It takes 2-4 hours to

digest

Amino acids denatured by cooking

Low water, no fiber; can be constipating

High in cholesterol It takes 12-24 hours

to digest

Vegans use it as a healthier substitute for meat

It’s supposed to leave hair healthier than it was before

[Thanks to the tree for bearing it]