Moncat Avocado
Moncat Avocado
Huge fruit almost 3 lbs. A couple of years ago I top worked about 150 tree to Monroe. This avocado apparently came in with the bud wood. I saw it for the first time on October 29, 2013. A tree with one branch Monroe and another branch with this. I had not seen this fruit around before, so I tried to see it it was a known variety. I passed by Pine Island Nursery to see if they knew what it was. Mike or Martha did not recognize it. Talking there we all said it looked like a Monroe with the shape of a Catalina. I decided to call it Moncat for the time being. This tree is very productive the branch was full of huge fruit looked like a papaya tree holding green fruit.
I called the men who brought the Monroe bud wood two year ago and showed him the fruit. This person is a local expert that has been working for local groves for many years. He did not recognize the variety. He pointed out that this fruit is not in the grove where he got the bud wood to graft my Monroe's. He added that tree wise the branch looks like a Monroe tree. At one point I started to think this could be a sport branch of a Monroe tree. I didn't know that avocados can sport branch but some friends from the Tropical Fruit Forum brought it to my attention as a rare possibility.
Taste wise it is light with very pleasant taste typical Florida Avocado, no fiber, no dark spots, very clean and nice color inside. I like avocados like this, mild and tasty to eat as a side dish with my meals. Great seed to pulp ratio 16%. This avocado can feed a family of 4-6 people. This avocado would come in after Catalina and 3-4 weeks before the Monroe. It has a decent window of time. Monroe is not ready to pick until the first week of November and they would taste better after Thanksgiving. This can probably be picked from October 1, or before, to the first week in November. With seeds in the 5 oz range this can be a good source of fast growing seedlings. I have 4 in pots growing.
Will try to check flower type in the spring.
February 12, 2014. The seeds that were planted in November 10, 2013, are now huge seedlings ready to be grafted.
November 14, 2015: I don't see any of this fruit in the tree. I'm beginning to wonder if this is an anomaly in which a tree or two had a different shape of Monroe on one particular year. Very strange. Next time in the grove I will check this again. Last year the fruit was so different that the pickers that were picking Monroe's left them on the tree. This year I did not see any. Very strange
I called the men who brought the Monroe bud wood two year ago and showed him the fruit. This person is a local expert that has been working for local groves for many years. He did not recognize the variety. He pointed out that this fruit is not in the grove where he got the bud wood to graft my Monroe's. He added that tree wise the branch looks like a Monroe tree. At one point I started to think this could be a sport branch of a Monroe tree. I didn't know that avocados can sport branch but some friends from the Tropical Fruit Forum brought it to my attention as a rare possibility.
Taste wise it is light with very pleasant taste typical Florida Avocado, no fiber, no dark spots, very clean and nice color inside. I like avocados like this, mild and tasty to eat as a side dish with my meals. Great seed to pulp ratio 16%. This avocado can feed a family of 4-6 people. This avocado would come in after Catalina and 3-4 weeks before the Monroe. It has a decent window of time. Monroe is not ready to pick until the first week of November and they would taste better after Thanksgiving. This can probably be picked from October 1, or before, to the first week in November. With seeds in the 5 oz range this can be a good source of fast growing seedlings. I have 4 in pots growing.
Will try to check flower type in the spring.
February 12, 2014. The seeds that were planted in November 10, 2013, are now huge seedlings ready to be grafted.
November 14, 2015: I don't see any of this fruit in the tree. I'm beginning to wonder if this is an anomaly in which a tree or two had a different shape of Monroe on one particular year. Very strange. Next time in the grove I will check this again. Last year the fruit was so different that the pickers that were picking Monroe's left them on the tree. This year I did not see any. Very strange