Avocado, sold in India as butter fruit, is a laurel-family tree from Mexico and Central America whose oily fruit is now common in city markets. Indian avocados come mainly from Coorg, Wayanad, the Nilgiris and Sikkim, while many supermarket fruits are imported. Almost all of the world’s trade is the Hass variety, which traces back to a single tree grown from seed in California in the 1920s.
- Botanical name
- Persea americana Mill.
- Family
- Lauraceae
- Tamil
- Avocado
- Hindi
- Avocado
- Parts used
- Ripe flesh
- Habit
- Avocado; the flesh is food, the seed is not a children’s chew
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Avocado
It is a tall evergreen tree, often ten to twenty metres, with large, leathery, elliptic leaves that smell faintly of anise when crushed.
Small greenish-yellow flowers form loose clusters at the branch tips in large numbers.
The fruit is pear-shaped to round, with green to purple-black skin that may be smooth or pebbly, around one large seed.
The flesh is pale green to yellow and buttery when ripe.
Fruit ripens only after picking, softening in a few days at room temperature.
Traditional use of Avocado
Kitchen
In Mexico the flesh is mashed with lime, chilli, onion and coriander into guacamole, a dish going back to the Aztecs.
Mexican food practice
Kitchen
In Indian cities avocado goes on toast and into salads and smoothies, and in Brazil it is blended sweet with milk and sugar.
Indian and Brazilian food practice
Modern notes on Avocado
The flesh is high in oleic acid, the same monounsaturated fat that dominates olive oil.
It also supplies fibre, potassium, folate and vitamin E, along with plenty of calories.
Avocado flowers open as female on one day and male on the next, at different times in A-type and B-type varieties, so growers plant both to improve fruit set.
Rising demand has caused forest clearing and water stress in parts of Mexico and Chile.
Avocado safety
The ripe flesh is safe food. Leaves, bark, skin and seed contain persin, which is toxic to birds, horses, goats and rabbits, so do not feed them avocado. People with latex allergy sometimes react to it.
Ecology and sourcing
It is native to the highlands of south-central Mexico and Central America.
Its large seed may once have been spread by giant mammals that are now extinct.
Bees are the main pollinators in orchards.
Related plants
Also in Lauraceae
Questions about Avocado
Why is Avocado called butter fruit?
Because of its smooth, buttery flesh.
How do I ripen an avocado?
Leave it at room temperature until it gives to gentle pressure.
Can I eat the seed of Avocado?
No. The seed is not a food.
Where is avocado grown in India?
Mainly Coorg, Wayanad, the Nilgiris and Sikkim.
Is avocado safe for pets?
It is dangerous for birds, horses, goats and rabbits.
Sources
- Persea americana Mill. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q37153 (Persea americana)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.