The trees are evergreen and may reach heights of up to 20m. The trees are shallow rooted and have poor water uptake and hydraulic conductance.
Vegetative growth is cyclical with pronounced growth flushes.
In avocados, it is quite easy to discern between these two types of axillary branching. Temperatures exceeding 35C has also been shown to negatively influence flowering, fruit set and fruit retention for cv. The great difference between crop volumes from year to year create serious financial challenges for growers and marketers alike. This costs the industry millions of dollars in lost markets during low crop years and in oversupply during heavy crop years. It is the goal of many international researchers to discover methods of sustaining annual avocado production and reducing alternate bearing.