Virginia Tech Dendrology

avocado Lauraceae Persea americana Mill. symbol: PEAM3
Leaf: Alternate, simple, entire margins, broadly lance-shaped, evergreen, 4 to 8 inches long, 1 to 3 inches wide, spicy odor when crushed, dark green above, pale below.
Flower: Small, light yellow-green, lacking petals; occurring in racemes near the branch tips; generally appearing at the end of winter.
Fruit: Familiar avacados are round to pear-shaped drupes with green to dark purple skin that is smooth to pebbly; flesh is yellow-green and buttery, surrounding a large round seed.
Twig: Moderately stout, greem to brown, angled or ridged, finely pubescent; buds are short and covered in rusty colored hairs.
Bark: Reddish brown to gray, developing irregular furrows.
Form: A small tree with a dense crown, to 60 feet tall but more commonly to 30 feet.

Additional Range Information: Persea americana is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information