Persea schiedeana

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Magnoliids
Ordo: Laurales

Familia: Lauraceae
Tribus: Cinnamomeae
Genus: Persea
Subgenus: P. subg. Persea
Species: Persea schiedeana
Name

Persea schiedeana Nees (1836)
Synonyms

Homotypic
Persea gratissima var. schiedeana (Nees) Meisn., Prodr. 15(1): 53. 1864.

Heterotypic
Persea pittieri Mez, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 30(Beibl. 67): 15 15 1901.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Southern America
Regional:Central America
Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panamá
Regional:Northern South America
Colombia
Continental: Northern America
Regional:Mexico
Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Nees von Esenbeck, C.G.D. 1836. Systema Laurinarum. Berolini: Sumptibus Veitii et Sociorum. 720pp. BHL Reference page. : 130.

Additional references

Villaseñor, J.L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 559–902. DOI: 10.1016/j.rmb.2016.06.017 Online PDF Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2022. Persea schiedeana in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2022 June 26. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2022. Persea schiedeana. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2022. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2022 June 26. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2022. Persea schiedeana. Published online. Accessed: June 26 2022.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Persea schiedeana in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Vernacular names
English: coyo, coyo avocado
español: chinini, coyó

Persea schiedeana, the coyo,[2] is a species of plant in the family Lauraceae. It belongs to the evergreen tree genus Persea, which comprises about 150 species, and is closely related to the avocado, P. americana. Other common names include aguacate de montaña, aguacatón, chinini, and yas.[1]

Coyo is native to southern Mexico and parts of Central America. It occurs at altitudes up to 2800 meters in lowlands and montane tropical forests.[1] It is cultivated for fruit and used as graft stock for common avocado.[1]

The tree grows to about 20 m high, occasionally reaching 50 m. Young branches are very hairy. The leaves are deciduous and the flowers are light greenish-yellow, with the stamens turning red with age. The fruit, closely resembling that of the avocado, is generally pear-shaped, with a thick, green, leathery skin. The flesh is oily with a milky juice and tastes like an avocado or coconut. The pear-shaped fruit is easily mistaken for an avocado. However, it contains a much larger central seed. The flesh has stone cells and a gritty texture that is generally considered unfavourable for edible consumption, despite its appealing taste. The cotyledons, unlike those of the avocado, are pink internally.

The seeds of the tree are dispersed by wild animals that eat the fruit, including tepezcuintle (Cuniculus paca), tejón coati (Nasua narica) and agoutis (Dasyprocta sp.).[3]

This species is considered to be endangered due to loss of habitat as forests are cleared for agriculture.[1]
References

Wegier, A., et al. 2017. Persea schiedeana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017. Downloaded on 28 September 2018.
USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Persea schiedeana". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
Bost, J. Persea schiedeana: A high oil “Cinderella Species” fruit with potential for tropical agroforestry systems. Sustainability 2014, 6(1), 99-111; doi:10.3390/su6010099