Persea

  • Authority

    Kopp, Lucille E. 1966. A tasonomic revision of the genus Persea in the Western Hemisphere (Perseae-Lauraceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 14: 1-117.

  • Family

    Lauraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Persea

  • Description

    Species Description - Trees or shrubs; leaves simple, entire, alternate, penninerved, often aromatic. Inflorescences subterminal or axillary, paniculate, racemose, capitate, corymbiform; flowers pedicellate, or sessile, hermaphrodite; outer perianth-segments mostly about 1/9 the length of the inner segments and glabrous within, or in subg. Persea subequal to the inner segments and pubescent within; anthers of series 1 and II introrse, quadrilocular (rarely bilocular); anthers of series III laterally dehiscent, or laterally extrorse, or with the upper cells lateral and the lower extrorse, quadrilocular (rarely bilocular or staminodial), the filaments each with a pair of stipitate or subsessile glands; series IV staminodial, sagittate; gynoecium glabrous or pubescent, the ovary globose, subglobose, or ellipsoid, the style slender, longer than the ovary, the stigma triangular-peltate. Infructescence with lignescent peduncles and pedicels; perianth-segments lignescent, reflexed, patent and persistent in their entirety, or with the tips of the inner segments deciduous; fruits mostly about 1 cm. in diameter (larger in subg. Persea, the avocado).

  • Discussion

    Persea Clus. Hist. 1: 2. 1601.

    Borbonia (Plum.) Boehm. in Lud. Def. Gen. Plant. 64. 1760.

    Farnesia Heist, ex Fab. Enum. Method. Plant. Hort. Med. Helmst. 400. ed. 2. 1763.

    Menestrata Vell. Flora Flum. Ic. 5: pi. 2. 1835.

    Tamala Rafin. Sylva Tell. 136. 1838.

    Type. Persea americana Mill. Gard. Diet. ed. 8. 1768.