Avocado Jan Boyce
by Laurie Meadows
Notes on the avocado cultivar Jan
Boyce.
This cultivar was named by Al Boyce, the director
of the University of California Riverside Experimental Station,
after his wife Jan.
Julie Frink, a USA volunteer at the University of California
South Coast Field Station, considers the Jan Boyce variety as a
particularly fine tasting fruit, perhaps a 'gourmet avocado'.
The notes
from the University of California say:
"A pretty oval/pear shaped fruit. It does not
peel well, is handsome looking and has excellent flavor in
April. Considered by some to be a gourmet avocado."
The tree is said to be vigorous, and to set fruit well. The ripe
fruit are green skinned, and said to have a very small seed. It
is likely to be ripe in late spring-summer in our cooler
conditions.
This cultivar has been in New Zealand for some time, evidently,
but is never heard of. I obtained a plant from a Kumeu
nurseryman, and planted it out in a rather difficult (but sandy)
spot in a tiny steep paddock by some native forest.
The little tree has had a hard life, survived drought, root rot,
and attack by possums. It is planted under a Karri eucalyptus
tree, which has made its life even more challenging...Escaped
sheep almost destroyed it in 2017. I have propagated a new tree,
and when the new tree is big enough, it will be planted in a
much more suitable situation!
This year it has flowered for the first time, and it seems it
will flower about with Hass.
More notes are at http://www.epicenteravocados.com/varieties/janboyce/
If you have corrections, observations, or
comments, feel free to drop a line to:
avocado [and next insert the symbol [ "@"] lauriemeadows
"dot" info. Apologies in advance, I don't check email very often,
so acknowledgement may be a wee while coming.