The Nabal was brought north from Guatemala in 1916 by the plant explorer Wilson Popenoe, who as a twenty-four year-old employee of the department of agriculture, traveled through that country in search of promising cultivars for trial in the United States. The original tree was found growing on an estate in Antigua, in the central highlands of Guatemala. Popenoe described the Nabal in glowing terms, writing, “For productiveness combined with desirable form and excellent quality of fruit, the Nabal variety seems particularly worthy of trial in the United States.”
The name Nabal came from the Q’eqchi’ (K’ekchi’) language, spoken by the Indians of the Alta Verapaz area of Guatemala, an important avocado growing region. The word Nabal means “plenty, or abundance.”
The Nabal is a vigorous, lush tree with an open growth habit. The large, 1 to 2 pound fruit are round with a thick green skin. The flesh is very rich and dense and is of excellent quality. It has a great flavor and also a nice mouth-feel.
Nabal was important commercially, and is considered to be a good bearer, but known to show distinct biennial tendencies (has “on” years and “off” years). Being a “B” type, it is also perhaps particularly sensitive to cool bloom-time conditions.

Sold out for spring 2024.

Trees are approximately 3 feet tall and sell for $45 each cash or check or Venmo, or $47 via credit card or PayPal. All trees are sold in a poly grow sleeve that is roughly equivalent to a #2 pot.