The Avocado

Avocados are a thick-skinned tropical fruit, often served at the beginning of a meal or in a salad. The flavor is an acquired taste amd the fruit is regarded as a delicacy.

One variety grown in Australia is sometimes called the "avocado pear" because it is pear-shaped. But the avocado is not related to the pear. It belongs to the laurel family, Lauraceae. Avocados originally grew in tropical South and Central America. There are many kinds of avocado trees, each bearing fruit of a different size.

Some trees grow up to 16 meters high and all have wide-spreading foliage. Most Australian avocados grow in Queensland, but they are havested as far south as the Murray-Darling river system.