Persea
Persea is a genus of about 111 species of evergreen trees belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The best-known member of the genus is the avocado, P. americana, widely cultivated in subtropical regions for its large, edible fruit.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderLaurales
- FamilyLauraceae
Native toArgentina Northeast, Argentina South, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Canary Is., Chile Central, Chile South
General: is recorded, the avocado: Persea americana Mill. Use: The ‘avocado’ or ‘pear’, Persea americana Mill., is often
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Research
1,631 papers- Avocado (Persea americana Mill) and its phytoconstituents: potential for cancer prevention and intervention.Critical reviews in food science and nutrition · 2024
- Chemistry and Bioactivity of the Genus Persea - A Review.
~8 min read
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Overview
- Distribution and ecology
- Classification
- Formerly placed here
- Phylogeny
- Etymology
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
Persea is a genus of about 111 species of evergreen trees belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The best-known member of the genus is the avocado, P. americana, widely cultivated in subtropical regions for its large, edible fruit.
==Overview== They are medium-size trees, tall at maturity. The leaves are simple, lanceolate to broad lanceolate, varying with species from long and broad, and arranged spirally or alternately on the stems. The flowers are in short panicles, with six small greenish-yellow perianth segments long, nine stamens and an ovary with a single embryo. The fruit is an oval or pear-shaped berry, with a fleshy outer covering surrounding the single seed; size is very variable among the species, from in e.g. P. indica, up to in some cultivars of P. americana.