Persea americana
El aguacate o palto (Persea americana) es un árbol originario de América perteneciente a la familia de las lauráceas. Su fruto se conoce como aguacate o palta.
Es probablemente originario del sur de Chiapas y Guatemala. Antes de la llegada de los europeos se cultivaba desde el río Bravo (norte de México) hasta Chile. Puede alcanzar 20 m de altura.
Su fruto, comestible, recibe el nombre de "aguacate", "palta", "cura", "avocado" o "abacate" según las regiones. Se divide en tres "razas": mexicana, guatemalteca y antillana.
Los aguacates originados en las zonas altas del centro y este de México generan la Raza Mexicana. Los de las zonas altas de Guatemala generan la Raza Guatemalteca, y la Raza Antillana proviene de las primeras plantas encontradas en Las Antillas.
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The avocado (Persea americana), also known as palta or aguacate (Spanish), butter pear or alligator pear, is a tree native to Mexico, South America and Central America, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. The name "avocado" also refers to the fruit (technically a large berry) of the tree that contains a pit (hard seed casing) which may be egg-shaped or spherical.
Avocados are a commercially valuable crop whose trees and fruit are cultivated in tropical climates throughout the world (and some temperate ones, such as California), producing a green-skinned, pear-shaped fruit that ripens after harvesting. Trees are partially self-pollinating and often are propagated through grafting to maintain a predictable quality and quantity of the fruit. After the seed is planted, it takes about two to six weeks to sprout.
