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Lauraceae

Coyo (Persea schiedeana)

Persea schiedeana

Medium ☀️ Bright indirect 🐾 Pet safe

A tropical tree for planting in the ground in warm, humid, frost-free climates. It likes sun, deep soil rich in organic matter and steady moisture, and it copes with heavy soil and short flooding. Water young trees regularly until they establish. Seedlings take about 9 years to fruit, and crops tend to alternate between heavy and light years.

💧 Watering

Every 7 days

☀️ Light

Bright indirect

🌡️ Temperature

6° - °C

💨 Humidity

% - %

What is Coyo?

Coyo (Persea schiedeana) is a medium-care plant from the Lauraceae family. Persea schiedeana is a large tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae) and is considered the closest wild relative of the avocado. It is native to southern and eastern Mexico and Central America, where it grows in humid tropical and cloud forests between 500 and 2,800 m. Trees usually reach about 20 m a...

Coyo grows up to 20.0m, watering every 7 days. It is not suitable for indoor environments and safe for pets.

Unlike many popular species, Coyo is safe to keep around pets.

How to Care for Coyo?

TLDR: Coyo needs Bright indirect, watering every 7 days, and temperatures between 6-30°C with 40-70% humidity.

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How Often Should You Water Coyo?

Keep the soil moist for the first few years, watering about once a week when it does not rain. Mature trees live on rainfall in humid regions. It tolerates short waterlogging better than avocado.

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How Much Light Does Coyo Need?

Full sun or filtered sun. In the wild, seedlings grow under the forest and mature trees reach the canopy.

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What Is the Best Soil for Coyo?

Deep, moist soil rich in organic matter. Tolerates heavy clay soils.

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What Pot Should You Use for Coyo?

Not a container plant: it is a tree over 20 m tall. Use a deep pot only for the seedling and plant it out within the first year.

What Is Coyo and Where Does It Come From?

Persea schiedeana is a large tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae) and is considered the closest wild relative of the avocado. It is native to southern and eastern Mexico and Central America, where it grows in humid tropical and cloud forests between 500 and 2,800 m. Trees usually reach about 20 m and can exceed 40 m. The leaves are obovate, leathery and hairy underneath, and some drop during the dry season. The flowers are small and yellowish-green. The fruit looks like a long-necked avocado with green, brown, black or purple skin, very oily cream-colored flesh and a large seed. The species is listed as Endangered by the IUCN because of forest clearing.

How to Propagate Coyo?

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Seed

The seed cannot be stored, so plant it right after taking it from the fruit. Seedling trees take about 9 years to bear fruit.

1
Remove the seed from a ripe fruit
2
Soak it in room-temperature water for one day
3
Plant it broad end down, buried in the mix
4
Keep the mix moist and warm

Materials needed:

Fresh seedContainer of waterDeep pot or bedOrganic-rich potting mix

📊 Success rate: high 🗓️ Best season: Summer

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Grafting

Grafting copies the chosen tree and shortens the wait for fruit. Grafts on secondary branches of coyo failed in trials.

1
Grow a coyo or avocado rootstock from seed
2
Collect scions or buds from a tree with good fruit
3
Graft onto the trunk of the young rootstock
4
Protect the union until it sprouts

Materials needed:

Grafting knifeGrafting tapeYoung rootstockScions from the mother tree

📊 Success rate: medium 🗓️ Best season: Spring

How Big Does Coyo Grow?

TLDR: Coyo can reach up to 20.0m tall with Medium growth rate.

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Max height

20.0m

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Foliage

Semi-evergreen

Plant Uses

🍽️

Edible

Can be consumed

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Ornamental

Great for decoration

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Culinary Uses

The flesh is eaten like avocado, spread on corn tortillas
Oil-rich fruit, with 25% to 36% fat in the flesh

Is your plant showing symptoms?

Click on the symptom to discover possible causes:

🟡 Yellow Leaves 🥀 Wilting Leaves 🔴 Leaf Spots 🍂 Dry Tips 🍃 Falling Leaves 🪱 Root Rot 🐛 Pests 🍄 Fungus 🐢 Slow Growth

What Diseases Commonly Affect Coyo?

TLDR: Coyo is susceptible to 1 known diseases. Monitor regularly for early detection.

Phytophthora Root Rot

High

Disease caused by fungus-like organisms (oomycetes) that live in soil and can survive for years. It affects roots, stem, and crown of plants, being especially severe in waterlogged or poorly drained soils. It is the second most common cause of root rot in trees and shrubs.

View solution

Fun Facts

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It is considered the closest wild relative of the avocado

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Its seeds are spread by pacas, coatis and agoutis that eat the fruit

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It is grown as a shade tree in coffee plantations in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

Is coyo the same as avocado?

No. It is a different species in the same genus (Persea schiedeana), considered the closest wild relative of avocado (Persea americana). Its flesh is cream-colored and more fibrous, and the seed is larger.

Can you eat coyo fruit?

Yes. In Mexico and Central America it is eaten like avocado. The flesh is very oily and some fruits have a slightly gritty texture.

Is coyo cold hardy?

No. It is a tropical tree, and the fruit is damaged below about 6 °C. Grow it only where there is no frost.

How long does coyo take to fruit?

About 9 years on average from seed. Grafted trees bear sooner.

Compare with similar plants

Attribute	Difficulty	Light	Watering	Pet Safe
Dark Fieldcap	Medium	Low light	2d	⚠️
Azalea	Medium	Partial shade	3d	⚠️
Muriel's Bamboo	Medium	Partial shade	3d	✓
Bougainvillea	Medium	Direct sun	7d	⚠️

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Sources & References

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