Persea: Blakeman

This appetizing avocado is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s expansive collection of pomological watercolors, initiated in 1886 as a research reference for fruit breeders and growers. The collection consists of nearly 7,500 botanical illustrations, representing 38 plant families in all.

Persea: Blakeman joined the collection in 1917, painted by one of the USDA's most prolific artists, Royal Charles Steadman. In his 26 year career, Steadman painted nearly 900 botanical illustrations. The Blakeman avocado variant ripens in spring and summer. It was first propagated in California in 1912, just a few years before it was immortalized through the hands of the USDA’s pomological artists.