Is avocado a fruit or a vegetable?
avocado, also called alligator pear, fruit of Persea americana of the family Lauraceae, a tree native to the Western Hemisphere from Mexico south to the Andean regions. Avocado fruits have greenish or yellowish flesh with a buttery consistency and a rich, nutty flavour.
What is the classification of an avocado tree?
Tree: The avocado is a dense polymorphic broad-leaved aromatic evergreen tree species of the genus Persea classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Magnoliales of the flowering plant family Lauraceae (Myrtle).
Where do avocados come from Persea?
Persea persea(L.) Cockerell Persea steyermarkiiC.K.Allen The avocado(Persea americana) is a tree originating in the Americaswhich is likely native to the highland regions of south-central Mexico to Guatemala. [3][4][5]It is classifiedas a member of the flowering plantfamily Lauraceae.[3]
Where do avocados come from in Mexico?
Avocados are thought to be native to south-central Mexico. According to Alan Davidson in “The Oxford Companion to Food,” they have been cultivated for over 7,000 years. The Aztecs enjoyed the fruit — indeed, guacamole is an Aztec invention.
What fruit is related to avocado?
The avocado or alligator pear (Persea americana) is a member of the laurel family (Lauraceae), along with cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), camphor (C. camphora), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), European bay (Laurus nobilis), and California bay or Oregon myrtle (Umbellularia californica).
What family does avocado fall under?
Lauraceae familyAvocados are the fruit of a tree native to Central America, and they're part of the Lauraceae family, which is comprised of about 2,850 different species of plants.
Is avocado part of the pear family?
Avocado is known as Persea americana, but pear is termed Pyrus communis. Furthering up the hierarchy (pronounced as 'hairaaki') of classification, avocado is in the Lauraceae family but pear is in the Rosaceae family. Therefore, these two crops are completely different.
What kingdom does avocado belong to?
PlantAvocado / KingdomPlants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclude the fungi and some algae, as well as the prokaryotes. Wikipedia
Are bananas and avocados in the same family?
Bananas are known as fruits and vegetables because they belong to the Musa genus (Musa acuminate) [1]. Avocados (Persea Americana) belong to the Persea genus are classified as a member of the flowering plant species [2]. The most common banana species are Cavendish Bananas and Lady's Finger Bananas.
Is avocado a berry or a fruit?
fruitAn avocado is a fruit (yes, a fruit!) that likely originated in south-central Mexico. It contains one large seed and is considered—botanically at least—to be a berry. The berry has dark green skin and greenish-yellow flesh with a butter consistency and slightly nutty flavor.
Are avocados in the same family as cinnamon?
What is an avocado? Persea americana is an evergreen tree, native to Mexico, Central America and South America. It belongs to Lauraceae, the plant family that also includes cinnamon trees.
Are avocados related to squash?
Squash isn't the only plant that gets confused for a vegetable. Other fruits frequently called veggies include tomatoes, eggplants, avocados and cucumbers ( 2 ). Since squash contains seeds and develops from the flower-producing part of a plant, it is botanically a fruit.
Why avocado is not good for you?
When you bring more calories into your body than it burns off in a day, those extra calories will be stored as fat—even if they are healthy calories. Consuming too many calories can increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and coronary artery disease. A standard avocado contains 322 calories.
Is avocado a plant or tree?
Avocados are tropical plants; they tolerate very little cold. If you live where temperatures rarely drop to freezing — such as the southernmost regions of Florida, Texas, Arizona or California — you can plant your sprouted seed or a nursery-grown tree outdoors.
Is avocado a tropical fruit?
The list of tropical fruits of commercial value in Florida today, stated in order of their present value is, Avocado, Pineapple, Mango, Banana, Guava and Coconut. To these may be added some day Cherimoya and Mangosteen, and possibly Litchi, or some naturalized hybrids of these families.
How is an avocado tree classified?
The avocado tree belongs to the Lauraceae, or laurel, family, and it belongs to the Persea Mill., or bay genus. The Lauraceae family comes from the Laurales order, which belongs to the Magnoliidae subclass. This subclass is categorized under the Magnoliopsida class, which is the class of dicotyledons.
Where do avocados come from?
Avocados grow on a tree, Persea americana , that is native to the Western Hemisphere from Mexico south to the Andean regions.
What is the average size of an avocado?
Avocados are exceedingly variable in size, no larger than a hen’s egg in certain Mexican races and sometimes weighing 1–2 kg (2–4 pounds) in other...
What nutrients are present in avacados?
Avocados have thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin A, and in some varieties, the flesh contains 25 percent unsaturated oil.
How do you eat avocado?
Avocados are often eaten in salads, and in many parts of the world they are eaten as a dessert. Mashed avocado is the principal ingredient of guaca...
What is an Avocado?
Although you’re probably most accustomed to eating avocados in savory dishes, they are, in fact, a fruit. Botanically, these versatile fruits are a...
What are the physical traits of an Avocado?
The avocado is a medium-sized fruit with bright green to green-black and even purple bumpy skin, and soft, pale green flesh. In the center of the f...
What are the nutritional benefits of the Avocado?
The avocado is a medium-sized fruit with bright green to green-black and even purple bumpy skin, and soft, pale green flesh. In the center of the f...
What is the Avocado tree like?
The avocado fruit grows on a large, subtropical tree known as Persea Americana. This species grows up to 66 feet high and features medium (between...
What types of Avocados are there?
There are many cultivars of avocados used for both at-home and commercial growing. Here are a few of the most common types. Hass Avocados You’ve pr...
What are the Avocado nicknames?
Alligator pear: if you had never seen an avocado before, you might have come up with this name yourself! The pear-shaped fruit and rough, alligator...
Where do avocados come from?
avocado, also called alligator pear, fruit of Persea americana of the family Lauraceae, a tree native to the Western Hemisphere from Mexico south to the Andean regions. Avocado fruits have greenish or yellowish flesh with a buttery consistency ...
Where are Mexican avocados native to?
The Mexican race is native to Mexico and is characterized by the anise like odour of the leaves and by small (weighing 90–240 grams [3–8 ounces]), thin-skinned fruits of rich flavour and excellent quality. Mexican avocados are the hardiest, growing in regions too cold for other types.
What is avocado in guacamole?
Avocados are often eaten in salads, and in many parts of the world they are eaten as a dessert. Mashed avocado is the principal ingredient of guacamole, a characteristic sauce in Mexican cuisine.
What is mashed avocado?
They are often eaten in salads, and in many parts of the world they are eaten as a dessert. Mashed avocado is the principal ingredient of guacamole, a characteristic sauce in Mexican cuisine. Avocados provide thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin A, and in some varieties the flesh contains as much as 25 percent unsaturated oil.
How big is an avocado?
Avocados are exceedingly variable in size, no larger than a hen’s egg in certain Mexican races and sometimes weighing 1–2 kg (2–4 pounds) in other races. An avocado's shape may vary from round to pear-shaped with a long, slender neck, and its color ranges from green to dark purple.
Where are Guatemalan fruits from?
The Guatemalan, native to the highlands of Central America, is slightly less frost-resistant than the Mexican and produces fruits of medium to large size (240–1,000 grams), characterized by thick woody skins and a ripening season different from that of the others.
Where are Britannica fruits grown?
The fruits are also grown commercially in Florida, California, Hawaii, South Africa, Brazil, and Australia, as well as on some Pacific islands and in several Mediterranean countries, including Israel. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now.
What family is avocado?
Avocados are the fruit of the Persea americana tree, in the laurel family. Avocados have some interesting relatives, including bay laurel, cinnamon, cassia, camphor and sassafras (all of which are also trees or shrubs).
Where did avocados originate?
Avocados are thought to be native to south-central Mexico. According to Alan Davidson in “The Oxford Companion to Food,” they have been cultivated for over 7,000 years. The Aztecs enjoyed the fruit — indeed, guacamole is an Aztec invention. One of the first Europeans to try avocado ate it with cheese (he thought it resembled a pear), and the first mention of the fruit in English dates from 1672, in Jamaica. Avocados were first planted in the US in the mid-nineteenth century — in Florida in 1833 and in California in 1856.
How long does it take for an avocado tree to produce fruit?
According to this guide to growing avocados, an avocado seedling may not produce fruit for 15 years, after which the tree can be productive for over 40 years. Avocados are classified into three different “races:” Mexican, Guatemalan and Caribbean.
How do you know if an avocado is ripe?
An avocado is ripe when it yields to gentle pressure when squeezed. In some varieties, like the popular Haas, the fruit’s skin will turn from green to black when ripe.
What is the name of the avocado that was invented by Rudolph Hass?
A California postman named Rudolph Hass accidentally developed the eponymously named (and now ubiquitous) Haas avocado. Mr. Haas patented the avocado in 1935.
What is the use of avocados in Mexican food?
We can’t talk about avocados without talking about Mexican and Central American cuisine, where they are used liberally in sauces, dips and garnishes. Both avocado pits and dried leaves are also used in Mexican cuisine — especially in moles. The dried leaves are usually toasted and pulverized, and the pit grated.
What are some good flavors to go with avocado?
Avocado pairs very well with strong flavors like citrus, alliums (think onions and garlic), chiles, chocolate (yes!), coconut, cilantro and tropical fruits (think mangoes).
Why are avocados so popular?
Other than their delectable taste, it's the nutritional value of avocados that makes them so popular. Because they're a savory fruit, avocados are versatile enough to be used in multiple dishes so you can enjoy them all day long.
What is the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?
Botanically speaking, a fruit is a seed-bearing product that develops from the ovary of a flowering plant. Generally sweet and fleshy in nature, fruits are classified as either drupes or berries.
Is avocado a fruit?
While they're often prepared and eaten like vegetables, funnily enough, avocados are biologically fruits. Even weirder, avocados are actually single-seeded berries in the same family as sassafras, the bay laurel, and various species of cinnamon tree. While avocados bear no relation to other berries such as blueberries, strawberries, ...
Is avocado a fruit or vegetable?
Is avocado a fruit. or vegetable? The humble avocado gets a lot of love, with this delicious and nutrient-dense food - one-third of a medium avocado contributing nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, a source being easy to find in cafes and kitchens across the world. Despite all the attention being given to "smashed avocado on toast" ...
Is avocado a saturated fat?
Healthy avocados contribute 5 g of monounsaturated fat and 1 g of polyunsaturated fat per 50 g serving (one-third of a medium avocado). Over 75% of the fat in an avocado is unsaturated, making it a great substitute for foods high in saturated fats. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, replacing saturated fats or trans fats ...
How big is an avocado?
The fruit of Mexican varieties are small (170 – 283.5 g) with paper-thin skins that turn glossy green or black when ripe. The flesh of avocados is creamy, deep green near the skin, becoming yellowish nearer the single large, inedible ovoid seed with an unusually high amount of fat that is primarily monounsaturated.
What color is an avocado?
They may be round, bottle necked, pear-shaped or globose, green or may be tinged with purple usually dark green; pulp fleshy and oily; seed globose, 30–40 mm diameter. The avocado comes in a variety of colors. As the avocado matures, the color will often change in a way characteristic of that variety.
How long does it take for an avocado tree to bloom?
Flowers: Although the trees produce an abundance of flowers, usually less than 0.1% of the flowers set fruit and most of these fruits abscise within 6 weeks from full bloom (Whiley and Schaffer, 1994). Avocado flowers are inconspicuous and appear in terminal panicles of 200 – 300 small yellow-green blooms.
How many shoot flushes does an avocado have?
Vegetative growth is cyclical with pronounced growth flushes. The avocado sheds many leaves in early spring. There may be one to six shoot flushes per year (Thorp, 1992). Growth is in frequent flushes during warm weather in warmer regions with only one long flush per year in cooler areas.
Is avocado good for diabetics?
They contain very little sugar, so are ideal for diabetics.
Is avocado oil good for cholesterol?
The oil in avocados is 82% mono-unsaturated and 92% of this is oleic acid, as in olive oil. This is the “good oil ” important in keeping down cholesterol levels. The rest of the oil content is 8% poly-unsaturated and 10% saturated. Avocados are cholesterol free.
Is a calyx persistent in fruit?
Calyx is not persistent in fruit. The flowers (6–7 mm long) are perfect, can be protogynous, meaning the stigma is receptive before the pollen is shed, and protandrous, meaning the pollen is shed before the stigma is receptive, in the same individual.
What are the different types of avocados?
Avocados can be divided firstly into two camps by the kind of flowers they have: type-A and type-B. The three main strains of avocados are Guatemalan, Mexican, and West Indian, and, within these categories, 17 common varieties diverge in shape, size, color, texture, and flavor.
How many varieties of avocado are there in the world?
According to antique literature, there are over 1000 varieties around the world! It might be difficult for you to get to all of these, considering how limited commercial retail tends to be, but there are, still, a few types of avocado you can’t miss.
What is the difference between Brogdon avocados and Hass avocados?
Brogdon avocados are also pear-shaped and their skin is dark purple. In fact, they share their skin color with the Hass variety , but, whereas the Hass variety’s skin is rough, Brogdon’s is quite smooth and extremely hard to peel.
What is a gwen avocado?
Gwen avocados are of the Guatemalan variety, and they were first developed in California. These pear-shaped avocados are a descendant of the Hass variety, but they have a rounder shape and are slightly larger. The Gwen type has dark green skin and a small seed in its golden-green, creamy, flavorful content. The skin is thick, thus easy to remove. Gwen avocados are available during summertime.
What is a sharwill avocado?
These avocados are characterized by their rough, green skin and their yellow-green, creamy, highly oily flesh. Sharwill avocados’ flesh houses one of the smallest seeds of the avocado family, which means that there’s an ample amount of buttery flesh inside each fruit. This variety’s flavor is nutty and rich.
What is the flavor of Fuerte avocado?
Its flesh is dense, yellow, and slightly oily. It has a rich and creamy flavor with a hint of hazelnuts. Fuerte avocados are available from December through February.
Where are Ettinger avocados grown?
This variety is a cross between Mexican and Guatemalan families and is mostly grown in Israel, its birthplace. Ettinger avocados are similar to Fuerte avocados – pear-shaped with smooth, thin, bright green skin, which does not peel easily. The Ettinger variety has a slight flavor and low oil content. These avocados contain a large seed, which makes ¼ of the fruit’s weight. Ettinger avocados are available mid-fall through early winter.
What are the different types of avocados?
Avocados can be classified into two types of cultivars, including the A-type and B-type. The difference between the types of cultivars lies in the pollination behaviors and opening times of the flowers. Here are some of the best-known types of avocados.
What is an avocado?
Avocado , also known as alligator pear or avocado pear, is a delicious fruit rich in antioxidants, fiber, and unsaturated fats that help reduce the risks of chronic diseases. While you might have only come across the bumpy-skinned, dark green, or purple Hass avocado, hundreds of avocados exist that vary in shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. All the avocado types found today can be traced back to the traditional Guatemalan, West Indian, or Mexican varieties. These avocados are typically used in sandwiches, salads, dips, and as a spread on toast or corn tortillas.
How much does a hass avocado weigh?
This medium-sized avocado type features a pale green flesh with an intense flavor that is suitable for preparing guacamole. Shape: Pear or oval. Weight: 5.3-8.8 ounces.
What is the color of a Monroe avocado?
Skin Color: Light, yellow-green. Monroe Avocado. 14. Monroe. First developed in Florida by crossing Guatemalan and West Indian varieties, Monroe became a famous commercial cultivar because of its cold hardiness. The skin is slightly rough, glossy, and thick, while the flesh is not as watery as the other varieties.
Where was Brogden avocado first grown?
A cross between the Mexican and West Indian types, Brogden was first developed in Florida. Although it is noted for its cold-hardiness, the Brogden avocado is difficult to peel and is not a famous commercial variety.
Where did avocados originate?
All the avocado types found today can be traced back to the traditional Guatemalan, West Indian, or Mexican varieties. These avocados are typically used in sandwiches, salads, dips, and as a spread on toast or corn tortillas. 15 Types of Avocado.
When was avocado invented?
Developed in 1951 by James Bacon, this avocado type is a medium-sized fruit with yellowish-green, light-tasting flesh. It has a large seed with the flesh containing a large amount of oil.
