Persea americana

Avocado

Family: Lauraceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Avocado is a naturalized shrub found in southern California coastal areas in disturbed areas and abandoned gardens at elevations below 580 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces yellow-green flowers small in size with hairy perianth parts. Growing with stems up to 30 meters tall, it develops a broad, spreading structure. Its leaves are large, narrow to wide-elliptic, measuring 6 to 25 centimeters long and 3 to 11 centimeters wide, with minimal hair on the surface. The fruit is distinctive, pear-shaped or round, ranging from 5 to 15 centimeters long and changing color from yellow-green to dark purple as it ripens.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, abandoned gardens

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 580 m

Bioregions: SCo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.