Botanical atlas

Avocado

Persea americana

Long before avocado toast, the Aztec, Maya, and other Mesoamerican peoples were cultivating this tree for its buttery fruit, calling it ahuacatl in Nahuatl, a word also tied to fertility and vitality. The flesh was eaten fresh and mashed onto skin and hair as a softening treatment, while the leaves were steeped into a folk tea for digestive complaints and taken to ease menstrual discomfort. Spanish chroniclers noted its cultivation across the region within decades of contact, and the fruit traveled the trade routes of the Americas long before it crossed the Atlantic to become a global favorite.

Safety.

The ripe fruit is safe and nourishing, but the leaves, bark, skin, and pit contain persin, which is toxic to birds, horses, and many other animals, so keep them away from pets and livestock. Some people, especially those with a latex allergy, react to avocado with an itchy mouth or allergic symptoms, and leaf tea has traditionally been tied to effects on the uterus and milk supply, so avoid it in pregnancy and breastfeeding.