"Underneath the A-V-O-C-A-D-O T-R-E-E,
There's lots of little avocados green as they can be,
And if I had my way, my dear, it's here I'd always be,
Underneath the A-V-O-C-A-D-O T-R-E-E."
- Shel Silverstein, The Avocado Tree

History of an avocado tree: Wild variety was cultivated as early as 750 BC. Later cultivated in Mexico in 500 BC. Seeds were found buried with INCA Mummies in Peru, South America. The Aztecs used the avocado as a sex stimulant and the Aztec name for avocado was ahuacatl, meaning "testicle." In the pre-Incan city of Chanchan, archaeologists have unearthed a large water jar, dated around 900 A.D., in the shape of an avocado. The English living in Jamaica called the avocado an alligator pear. Some speculate that they were comparing the skin to that of an alligator .

The fruit: Avocado fruit is a berry not a nut as most commonly known. Avocados are easy to peel when ripe. Test for ripeness by cradling an avocado gently in your hand. Ripe fruit will yield will be firm, yet will yield to gentle pressure. The fruit is not sweet, but starchy, flavorful, and of smooth, almost creamy texture.

The tree: The avocado tree does not tolerate freezing temperatures, and so can be grown only in subtropical and tropical climates. A full-grown avocado tree may bear a million flowers in a season, the flowers occurring in panicles of severe dozen to several hundred on the ends of the numerous branches

Avocado's Nutrients: Unsaturated fats, no-cholesterol, rich in dietary fiber and vitimins such as folacin, A, B6, C and minerals.

http://www.socalsail.com/cyberfair/avocado/history.html
http://whatscookingamerica.net/avacado.htm
http://www.fact-index.com/a/av/avocado.html
http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/book/chap5/avocado.html