Author Topic: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???  (Read 4815 times)

BrettBorders

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ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« on: June 02, 2014, 03:34:24 PM »
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I got to eat a truly great avocado. They grow on a large tree in a residential area just south of Homestead, FL. According to the owner of the property the tree is "over 100 years old" (I have doubts about this, but it is definitely a few decades old) but they know nothing else about the cultivar or history behind it.


The characteristics that are consistent with all the fruits I ate are as follows:

- Large green fruits that stay green as they ripen off tree. Apparently November is peak ripeness time. Some were still on tree in December.



- High oil content. Far creamier than the Brodgons from the neighbor's tree. Judging by taste, it has equal or higher oil content to a Haas. If you suck on a slice, it melts in the mouth like warm butter - not metaphorically "sort of like butter" - almost exactly like butter. Nothing like the watery "Florida avocados" people like to disparage.



- ALL fruits have consistently "slanted" top where the panicle connects to the fruit. The panicle connects and the "low" end of the slope. See photo.





- There is sometimes but not always space around the pit. Quite often the pit is covered by a loose "brown paper" skin that is falling off or very easy to peel away with minimal finger pressure.





Disclaimer: I have limited experience tasting avocado types, but I know when I like something. I have checked the Pine Island Avocado viewer and a couple other charts and don't see a close match.

If this is a known Florida cultivar I will be very happy that I can simply and run out and buy one. If this is an unknown seedling, I will have to learn grafting :)


Any ideas on what this is, guys?



« Last Edit: June 02, 2014, 07:52:12 PM by BrettBorders »

Tropicalgrower89

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2014, 03:54:02 PM »
I'm guessing Catalina.
« Last Edit: June 02, 2014, 03:56:13 PM by Tropicalgrower89 »
Alexi

CTMIAMI

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2014, 04:28:44 PM »
Agree definitely looks like Catalina  http://www.myavocadotrees.com/catalina-avocado.html
« Last Edit: June 02, 2014, 04:31:24 PM by CTMIAMI »
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BrettBorders

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2014, 10:10:51 AM »
Thanks guys! Love, love, love this fruit and happy I can just buy a tree :)

SWRancher

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2014, 11:03:00 AM »
Yep I'll pile on too, looks and sounds like Catalina.     

BrettBorders

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2014, 02:14:00 PM »
The older tree I saw in Homestead was a HUGE avocado tree.

My ideal plan for Catalina is to have her become a large shade  tree in the center of my backyard.. keeping the sun off my yard and the west wall of my house.

Carlos's Catalina page - http://www.myavocadotrees.com/catalina-avocado.html - describes her as "robust and fast growing tree" and "to keep it in check I have to do serious pruning every year."

Anyone else care to share their experience growing Catalina - size, vigor, characteristics?
« Last Edit: June 03, 2014, 02:19:45 PM by BrettBorders »

CTMIAMI

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2014, 03:07:29 PM »
Do the tree a favor and plant a Monroe close to it.
Carlos
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ScottR

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2014, 12:07:47 AM »
Carlos or maybe Oscar can answer this question, is Catalina a variety that grows in Hawaii? The reason I ask is last year when we were at 'Best of Both Worlds' conference we stayed @ Hotel in Hilo outside of down town and in back of hotel, property went down to creek and the area full of fruit trees and a big Avocado that was dropping avocado's that looked just like Catilina, the owner didn't know what variety it was. Any way he let us pick up all the cado's we wanted and they were the best tasting avo I ever had creamy,little sweet and even cracked from falling out of tree stayed fine until ripe.we had them for almost the rest of or stay over in Kona. 

fruitlovers

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2014, 01:32:51 AM »
Carlos or maybe Oscar can answer this question, is Catalina a variety that grows in Hawaii? The reason I ask is last year when we were at 'Best of Both Worlds' conference we stayed @ Hotel in Hilo outside of down town and in back of hotel, property went down to creek and the area full of fruit trees and a big Avocado that was dropping avocado's that looked just like Catilina, the owner didn't know what variety it was. Any way he let us pick up all the cado's we wanted and they were the best tasting avo I ever had creamy,little sweet and even cracked from falling out of tree stayed fine until ripe.we had them for almost the rest of or stay over in Kona.

No Catalinas here. Never even heard of it before this forum. If you tell me what hotel you stayed in might be able to figure it out?
Oscar

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2014, 06:35:39 AM »
Oscar - do you have Lula?  When I hear a little bit sweet I think of Lula.
- Rob

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #10 on: June 04, 2014, 06:47:46 AM »
Oscar - do you have Lula?  When I hear a little bit sweet I think of Lula.

Unfortunately the only Florida avocado cultivars i have right now are Choquette and Monroe. Used to have Marcus pumpkin but lost it. Not a very good assortment but that's all i managed to bring over when i was in Florida last.
Oscar

ScottR

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2014, 11:04:14 AM »
Carlos or maybe Oscar can answer this question, is Catalina a variety that grows in Hawaii? The reason I ask is last year when we were at 'Best of Both Worlds' conference we stayed @ Hotel in Hilo outside of down town and in back of hotel, property went down to creek and the area full of fruit trees and a big Avocado that was dropping avocado's that looked just like Catilina, the owner didn't know what variety it was. Any way he let us pick up all the cado's we wanted and they were the best tasting avo I ever had creamy,little sweet and even cracked from falling out of tree stayed fine until ripe.we had them for almost the rest of or stay over in Kona.
Oscar, It was the Dolphin Bay Inn, a lot of CRFG people stayed there! Hope you can find out what the variety was, it was right off back parking lot.
No Catalinas here. Never even heard of it before this forum. If you tell me what hotel you stayed in might be able to figure it out?

bsbullie

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #12 on: June 04, 2014, 11:17:22 AM »
Oscar - do you have Lula?  When I hear a little bit sweet I think of Lula.

Unfortunately the only Florida avocado cultivars i have right now are Choquette and Monroe. Used to have Marcus pumpkin but lost it. Not a very good assortment but that's all i managed to bring over when i was in Florida last.

I didn't mean you specifically,  I meant Hawaii.
- Rob

NewGen

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #13 on: June 04, 2014, 04:15:19 PM »
Looks like a great find! Just curious, do you guys just scoop the flesh out for eating, just by itself? Or do you add some other ingredients to it? Personally, I like making a shake/smoothie with avocado, or pour some condensed milk into the space occupied by the seed, and scoop it out together.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2014, 04:56:34 PM by NewGen »

fruitlovers

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #14 on: June 04, 2014, 04:42:12 PM »
Oscar - do you have Lula?  When I hear a little bit sweet I think of Lula.

Unfortunately the only Florida avocado cultivars i have right now are Choquette and Monroe. Used to have Marcus pumpkin but lost it. Not a very good assortment but that's all i managed to bring over when i was in Florida last.

I didn't mean you specifically,  I meant Hawaii.

Lula is totally unknown here. But that is true of almost all the Florida avocado cultivars.
Oscar

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Re: ID this Exceptional Florida Avocado???
« Reply #15 on: June 08, 2014, 11:20:54 AM »
Carlos or maybe Oscar can answer this question, is Catalina a variety that grows in Hawaii? The reason I ask is last year when we were at 'Best of Both Worlds' conference we stayed @ Hotel in Hilo outside of down town and in back of hotel, property went down to creek and the area full of fruit trees and a big Avocado that was dropping avocado's that looked just like Catilina, the owner didn't know what variety it was. Any way he let us pick up all the cado's we wanted and they were the best tasting avo I ever had creamy,little sweet and even cracked from falling out of tree stayed fine until ripe.we had them for almost the rest of or stay over in Kona.

No Catalinas here. Never even heard of it before this forum. If you tell me what hotel you stayed in might be able to figure it out?

Oscar we stayed @ Dolphin Bay Inn as did many other CRFGer's