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| + | {{Inc| |
| + | Persea (ancient Greek name of an Egyptian tree with sweet fruit; |
| + | derivation unknown, probably from Perseus). Lauraceae. Woody plants |
| + | sometimes grown for ornament; and one of them yields the avocado, one |
| + | of the best of the semi-tropical fruits. |
| + | |
| + | Leaves alternate, entire: fls. small, hermaphrodite, usually in |
| + | panicles; corolla wanting, the calyx deeply 6-parted; stamens usually |
| + | 12, in 4 series, with one series sterile; ovary sessile and tapering |
| + | into a slender style bearing a simple stigma.—Shrubs and trees |
| + | distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics, most of the |
| + | species being confined to S. Amer., but one coming from the Canary |
| + | Isls. and a few from S. E. Asia. As defined by Bentham & Hooker, the |
| + | genus contains about 100 species, but Meissner (DC. Prodr. 15, pt. 1. |
| + | 43) distributes some of the species in other genera and retains only |
| + | 50 in Persea. Mez, in his monograph on the American Lauraceae: |
| + | (Jahrb. Konigl. Bot. Gart. 1889, 5. 135), describes 47 American |
| + | species. P. gratissima, the avocado, widely cult, throughout Trop. |
| + | Amer. and elsewhere for its fr., is the only species of great |
| + | economic importance. Others are of ornamental value, and may prove |
| + | useful as stocks upon which to bud or graft the avocado, although |
| + | experiments have not been very encouraging up to the present. P. |
| + | Borbonia grows naturally as far north as N. C.; P. indica is now and |
| + | then seen in cult, in Fla. and Calif. Some of the Cent. American |
| + | types referred to P. gratissima seem distinct, and may be found to |
| + | constitute good species. |
| + | |
| + | P. drymifolia, Cham. & Schlect,, is now considered to be a form of P. |
| + | gratissima; it is the type with anise-scented lvs. and small, |
| + | thin-skinned frs. described above as Mexican. Mez recognizes it as a |
| + | botanical variety and describes it along with another variety, |
| + | P.gratissima var. Schiediana,also indigenous to Mex-The hardy avocado |
| + | or yas of San Jose,Costa Rica has been referred by Werekle to |
| + | P.frigida Lind., but this name is of doubtful validity. The fr. is |
| + | figured by Collins (Bull. 77, Bur. Pl. Ind.), and is said to be of |
| + | possible value for hybridization with more tender species. It is |
| + | spherical, about 3 in. diam., with a very large seed.—P. lingue, |
| + | Nees, and P. Meyeniana, Nees, are two species which have recently |
| + | been intro. to the U. S. from Chile. |
| + | F.W.Popenoe. |
| + | }} |
| + | |
| {{Taxobox | | {{Taxobox |
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