Stock Photo of avocado plants against white cloudy sky background.

The avocado (Persea americana), also known as palka or aguacate (Spanish), butter pear or alligator pear, is a tree native to the Caribbean, Mexico, South America and Central America, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel. The name "avocado" also refers to the fruit (technically a large drupe) of the tree that contains a pit (hard seed casing) which may be egg-shaped or spherical.