emmanuel villegas enh 101 - university of california, davis
TRANSCRIPT
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]