General poisoning notes:

Avocado (Persea americana) is a common exotic fruit. The seeds are often planted to produce foliage plants in households. In California, Guatemalan cultivars have caused toxic affects in cattle, goats, rabbits, canaries, and fish. Family pets should be prevented from ingesting the leaves. The seeds have caused toxicity and death in canaries and have experimentally poisoned mice. Leaves should not be allowed to fall accidentally into fish tanks (Hurt 1943, Fuller and McClintock 1986).

References:

Appleman, D. 1944. Preliminary report on toxicity of avocado leaves. Calif. Avocado Soc. Yearbook, 1944: 37.

Fuller, T. C., McClintock, E. 1986. Poisonous plants of California. Univ. California Press, Berkeley, Calif., USA. 432 pp.

Hurt, L. M. 1943. Avocado poisoning. LA. County Livestock Dep. Ann. Rep., 1943: 43-44.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Persea americana Mill.

Vernacular name(s): avocado

Scientific family name: Lauraceae

Vernacular family name: laurel

References:

Agriculture Quebec. 1975. Noms des maladies des plantes du Canada/ Names of plant diseases in Canada. , Quebec City, Que., Canada. 288 pp.

Alex, J. F., Cayouette, R., Mulligan, G. A. 1980. Common and botanical names of weeds in Canada/Noms populaire et scientifiques des plantes nuisibles du Canada. Revised. Agric. Can. Publ., Ottawa, Ont., Canada. 132 pp.

Bailey, L. H., Bailey, E. Z. 1976. Hortus third. Revised. MacMillan, New York, N.Y., USA. 1290 pp.

Scoggan, H. J. 1978, 1979. The flora of Canada. Nat. Mus. Nat. Sci. (Ottawa) Publ. Bot. 7(1)-7(4). 1711 pp.

Van Wijk, H. L. 1911. A dictionary of plant names. Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, The Netherlands. 1444 pp.

Victorin, M. 1964. Flore Laurentienne. 2nd ed. Univ. Montreal, Montreal, Que., Canada. 952 pp.

Geographic Information

Plant or plant parts used in or around the home.

References:

Bailey, L. H., Bailey, E. Z. 1976. Hortus third. Revised. MacMillan, New York, N.Y., USA. 1290 pp.

Boivin, B. 1966, 1967. Énumération des plantes du Canada. Provencheria 6. Nat. Can. (Que.) 93: 253-274; 371-437; 583-646; 989-1063. 94: 131-157; 471-528; 625-655.

Notes on Poisonous plant parts:

Ingesting the leaves, branches, or seeds has caused lung congestion and udder inflammation (Fuller and McClintock 1986).

Toxic parts:

leaves
seeds
twigs

References:

Fuller, T. C., McClintock, E. 1986. Poisonous plants of California. Univ. California Press, Berkeley, Calif., USA. 432 pp.

Toxic plant chemicals:

unknown chemical

References:

Fuller, T. C., McClintock, E. 1986. Poisonous plants of California. Univ. California Press, Berkeley, Calif., USA. 432 pp.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Cattle

General symptoms of poisoning:

mastitis

Notes on poisoning:

Ingesting avocado leaves and bark has caused lung congestion, mastitis, tissue edema, milk reduction, and death (when large quantities of leaves were consumed). Other mammal species that were poisoned after ingesting avocado showed similar symptoms (Hurt 1943).

References:

Fuller, T. C., McClintock, E. 1986. Poisonous plants of California. Univ. California Press, Berkeley, Calif., USA. 432 pp.

Hurt, L. M. 1943. Avocado poisoning. LA. County Livestock Dep. Ann. Rep., 1943: 43-44.

Goats

General symptoms of poisoning:

mastitis

References:

Hurt, L. M. 1943. Avocado poisoning. LA. County Livestock Dep. Ann. Rep., 1943: 43-44.

Rabbits

General symptoms of poisoning:

death
death by asphyxiation
mastitis

Notes on poisoning:

Rabbits were poisoned when given access to avocado leaves. The rabbits developed mastitis and dried up. Experimental feeding of "Fuerte," a Guatemalan avocado cultivar, has caused poisoning and death in rabbits. Mexican cultivars have not caused poisoning (Hurt 1943, Appleman 1944).

References:

Appleman, D. 1944. Preliminary report on toxicity of avocado leaves. Calif. Avocado Soc. Yearbook, 1944: 37.

Hurt, L. M. 1943. Avocado poisoning. LA. County Livestock Dep. Ann. Rep., 1943: 43-44.

Information Source: ©Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System, Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility.