130 Avocado Persea americana The avocado (Persea americana) is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel. Avocado or alligator pear also refers to the fruit (botanically a large berry that contains a single seed) of the tree. Avocados are commercially valuable and are cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates throughout the world. They have a green-skinned, fleshy body that may be pear-shaped, egg-shaped, or spherical. Commercially, it ripens after harvesting. Trees are partially self-pollinating and often are propagated through grafting to maintain a predictable quality and quantity of the fruit. 18154 Avocado 130.jpg image/jpeg 244707 2012-04-20T09:33:26Z 137 Vegetables Fruit vegetables Type 1 2011-02-09T00:37:22Z 2019-05-14T18:04:16Z false specific 3435 true FOOD00130