Parque Nacional Garajonay

Macaronesian wild avocado (Persea indica)

A species that is endemic to Macaronesia which lives at the bottom of moist and shady ravines. It reaches a height of over thirty metres forming woody masses of large size.  Its large leaves which go red before falling and its young trunks full of buds and surrounded by suckers, will help us to identify it. This cousin of the avocado, Persea Americana, contains some alkaloids which attract rats, which bite its young shoots and get drunk. Despite the fact that it was used in building and was cut down for its excellent wood, on La Gomera you can find the best viñatigo woodlands in Macaronesia.