What is the botanical name of the avocado tree?

The botanical name of the avocado tree is Persea americana.

Persea americana is an evergreen member of the laurel family, Lauraceae, which also includes cinnamon and bay laurel. The species is native to the Americas, with its historical range extending from Mexico through Central America and into parts of northern and western South America. Its fruit is botanically a large, single-seeded berry rather than a stone fruit.

The name can cause confusion because cultivated avocados belong to different horticultural varieties, or cultivars. Hass, Fuerte, Bacon, and Zutano are all cultivars of Persea americana, not separate species. Persea gratissima is an older name that appears in some historical references, but Persea americana is the accepted scientific name used for the species today.

Avocados were domesticated over thousands of years in Mesoamerica. Modern commercial trees are often grafted so growers can preserve the predictable fruit qualities of a selected cultivar.