Interesting Facts About Avocado Trees And Their Fruit
Avocado trees origin
The avocado tree, known as Persea Americana, originates from Mexico and was grown for over 8,000 years. Its fruit has one seed and can be pear-shaped, round, or spherical. The skin of the fruit can have a black, purple, or green color and can be thick or thin. The tree is grafted in order to produce quality fruit. The avocado tree grows well in Mediterranean and Tropical climates. Avocado fruit ripens after harvesting.
In Australia, the tree was grown since the late 19th century. Avocado trees can be grown in orchards or backyard gardens. The tree is fully grown and produces fruit in about 2 to 3 years' time from the cultivation.
Types of Avocados
There are a few types of avocados and some can grow only in certain conditions and climates.
The Bacon avocado is grown well in Spain but can be grown successfully in Australia as well. The fruit has green skin. The size of the fruit is small to medium. The tree prefers shade with a few hours of sun daily. It is well suited for a cool climate. The tree is about 4m tall and reaches maturity at 4 years. It produces fruit from June to July.
With a name that might be too good to be true for some, the Bacon avocado is Californian in origin with a uniform oval shape and green skin. Medium-large in size they are generally available from autumn to spring and have a more delicate taste than some other varieties.
Bacon avocado
Hass avocado
Hass avocado is the most preferred because of its flavor and creamy texture. The consumption of this avocado can lower cholesterol levels. Peter Young, who grows avocados in Brisbane for more than 35 years, suggests that this tree is not really suitable for the backyards because it grows as tall as 15m and needs well-drained deep soil. It bears fruit from May to January.
Hass is the most marketable and reliable producer in most areas. We suggest it makes up the bulk of trees in an orchard except in hot areas where the fruit tends to be too small.
The Hass avocado is a cultivar of avocado with dark green–colored, bumpy skin. It was first grown and sold by Southern California mail carrier and amateur horticulturist Rudolph Hass, who also gave it his name. The Hass avocado is a large-sized fruit weighing 200 to 300 grams
Hass avocado
Wurtz avocado
Wurtz avocado is grown in Israel and Australia. The tree is small (between 2 to 3 m tall) and is very popular in backyards. The fruit is medium in size, with dark green skin, pear-shaped, and with a very rich flavour. It prefers a warm temperature. The fruit matures from October to December.
Avocado Wurtz (Persea Americana) is a dwarf avocado tree ideally suited to small backyards. It is a small attractive tree with a weeping habit, reaching 3 to 4m if left unpruned. The fruit is medium-sized, pear-shaped with dark green skin and excellent flavor.
Wurtz avocado
Rincon avocado
Rincon avocado will reach 4 m high and 3 m wide. They prefer warmer temperatures and will not perform well in frosty and cooler areas. The fruit is medium-sized and has green skin. This variety grows well in Australia. It produces fruit from June to August.
Pinkerton avocado
Pinkerton avocado can adapt very well to cooler climates. It produces a very large amount of fruit from June to August. Its fruit is medium-sized with a nice flavor.
Pinkerton avocado is a good choice for the backyard. Provided you have a pollinating variety. The Pinkerton avocado variety is, in warmer climates, winter to early spring maturing fruit. In New Zealand's colder winter conditions, the bulk of the crop is more likely to be mature in spring. The largest size, but still slightly immature 'early set fruit can also be picked from mid-July and will have far better-eating quality than any July size-picked Hass.
The Pinkerton fruit is a green skin type. The skin is thin, pliable, and easy to peel. The flesh is smooth, oily, and is of excellent eating quality.
The Pinkerton tree is small, almost dwarf, and easily trained to a single stem.
Pinkerton has a very long flowering and fruit set period, but in New Zealand, I suspect the winter flowers will set few if any, fruit. The best set is likely from flowers in September and October Pinkerton has A-type flowers, and a B-type variety appears to be needed for the fruit set. Overall, this is the ideal size avocado for a small garden - if the pollination issue can be sorted out.
Pinkerton avocado
Fuerte avocado
Fuerte avocado can tolerate cold temperatures. It can reach 10-12m high and 11m wide. It produces pear-shaped, small fruits. The skin is dark green. The flavor is nutty. June to October is the fruit season for this avocado.
The Fuerte avocado is often recognized as the archetypal avocado, green in color, pear-like in shape, and ranging from six to twelve ounces in size. It has smooth, medium-thin skin that peels easily, with dense, pale green flesh. It is marginally oily with a rich, creamy flavor and notes of hazelnut, and it is still considered by many to be the best-tasting avocado.
Fuerte avocado
Sharwill avocado
Sharwill avocado grows well in QLD and NSW. This tree does not tolerate frost. It produces high-quality and tasty fruit between April and August. It produces pear-shaped, small fruits. The skin is dark green. The flavor is nutty.
Avocados are scientifically known as Persea Americana Mill., and are botanically classified as a berry. As the Sharwil avocados mature, natural oils and fats accrue, hence avocados harvested toward the beginning of the season will be firmer, with a texture comparable to cool butter, and harvests further into the season will yield creamier and creamier fruit.
Sharwill avocado
Benefits of avocados
Avocados can be used raw in salads. Their fat can reduce cholesterol levels considerably. They are good for diabetic sufferers. The fiber which exists in avocados can contribute to lower high blood pressure.
The avocado is second only to olives among fruits in oil content, however, the oil in avocados is packed with monounsaturated fatty acids and is actually relatively healthy, with the ability to reduce blood cholesterol. Some monounsaturated fat found in avocados, such as oleic acid, is even thought to prevent breast cancer and prostate cancer. The avocado provides nearly twenty essential nutrients and contains more protein, potassium, magnesium, folic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, vitamin E, and vitamin K per ounce than any other fruit. They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten alongside the avocado.