Persea americana Mill.

Avocado (Persea americana) is a tree up to 20 meters tall of the Lauraceae family, native to the highlands of Central America, including Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela, before spreading to Southeast Asia in the 19th century. Besides being eaten fresh, its flesh is widely processed into skin and hair care products in the beauty industry. Traditionally, avocado is also believed to help control blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Grows from lowlands to highlands at elevations of 0-2,000 m above sea level, with an average temperature of 14-40 °C. This plant does not tolerate continuous waterlogging, but favors wet climates with rainfall of 500-2,000 mm/year, and moist soil with a soil pH of 5-5.8.

• Roots taproot.
• Trunk woody, brown.
• Leaves simple and symmetrical, ovate to elongated-oval, and thick.
• Flowers emerge at the tips of branches or twigs on long stalks.
• Fruit has a variable skin, green in color. The flesh is green just beneath the skin and yellows toward the seed.

• Propagated generatively (by seed) and vegetatively (by budding and air layering).
• Budded (grafted) seedlings are planted at a spacing of 12 x 12 m.
• Planting hole size is 60 x 60 x 40 cm.

Flavonoids, glycosides, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, steroids, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, 1,2,4-trihydroxyheptadec-16-yne, triglycerides, volatile oil (methylchavicol, pinene), cyanogenic glycosides.

Controls diabetes, reduces cholesterol levels, helps prevent high blood pressure and heart disease, treats certain types of cancer, promotes healthy hair.

• Pick fresh leaves. Remove any adhering debris, then wash under running water and drain.
• Dry the leaves under direct sunlight on a mat. Periodically turn the leaves for even drying. Once dry, store in an airtight container.

Alpuket (West Java), Alpokat (Java), Boah pokat, Jamboo pokat (Batak), Jamboo mentega, Jamboo pooan, Pokat (Lampung).