Persea americana Mill.
| Kannada Name : | None |
| Common Name : | Avocado |
| Family Name : | Lauraceae |
| Scientific Name : | Persea americana |
| Species Type : | Exotic |
| Phenology : | Evergreen |
| Conservation Status : | Least concern |
| Flowering Period : | November - January |
| Fruiting Period : | January to March |
| Origin : | Mexico |
Uses
The leaves are astringent, carminative, antitussive, emmenagogue and hypotensive. An oral infusion of the leaves is used to treat dysentery. It is also used for relieving coughs, lowering blood pressure, treating liver obstructions, promoting menstrual flow and for clearing high uric acid levels in the body which could lead to gout. The bark is astringent, carminative, antitussive and emmenagogue. It is used in the treatment of diarrhoea. The fruit pulp is emollient, carminative and helps lower blood cholesterol levels. The mashed fruit pulp is a nourishing food that is considered to have aphrodisiac properties
Description
Small to medium sized evergreen trees, up to 20 m tall. Bark grey-green, longitudinally fissured, young branches pubescent. Leaves simple, alternate, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, ovate or obovate, coriaceous, glabrous or pubescent scattered on the underside, glaucous below, base cuneate or acute to subrounded, apex acute or obtuse or obtusely acuminate, margin entire. Inflorescence an axillary subterminal panicle, densely pubescent. Flowers small, fragrant, pubescent, greenish-yellow. Fruit a berry, large, pear-shaped, globose, or oval; pulp fleshy, thick, juicy, oily. Seed 1, large, globose.
