What plant family does the avocado tree belong to?

The avocado tree belongs to the plant family Lauraceae, commonly called the laurel family.

Its scientific name is Persea americana, and its family placement connects it with aromatic trees and shrubs such as true laurel, cinnamon, and sassafras. Lauraceae members are especially common in tropical and warm-temperate regions, where many form important parts of forest ecosystems.

Avocado’s family relationship is easy to miss because its fruit is so familiar as a food crop. Botanically, the avocado fruit is a large, single-seeded berry rather than a typical stone fruit. The tree is evergreen, and its leaves and flowers share structural traits with other members of Lauraceae.

A frequent mistake is choosing Solanaceae because peppers and tomatoes often appear alongside avocado in recipes. Those crops belong to the nightshade family, whereas avocado is a laurel. Rutaceae includes citrus, and Rosaceae includes apples, roses, and stone fruits.