Actually it is a cultivar from Arizona, not a native species.
Beware of nurseries writing ad copy to lure desperate growers.
I just got a Stewart for planting also. We’ll have to compare notes 
Note that Stewart and Stuart are different cultivars.
I live near Phoenix, where the Aravaipa seedling was found. My understanding was that its claim to fame was being tolerant to 120F heat and sun. The lowest temps Phoenix sees are in the low 20s, so I’m not confident how cold hardy it is below that. This certainly doesn’t mean it’s NOT cold hardy down to 10-15F, though.
The Aravaipa might be a good choice for @jujubemulberry out in Las Vegas.
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Good to know! They are used interchangeably on online forums. (The same ones that had me worried it would not be very productive). Hopefully I picked the right one for Poway!
you got that right! I am still waiting for it to become a bit more mainstream. Apart from being (expectedly) in-demand, there seems to be no online nursery carrying it.
Have seen plenty of youtube videos depicting aravaipas being grown somewhat out in the open in phx, which is quite encouraging. Only caveat is that even though it is generally hotter there during summer, humidity there seems to be higher than here…which seems to be an influential factor.
Yes, Stewart is the more common, recommend for your area, and has a very good flavor. The other “Stuart” is a straight Mexicola with relatively poor flavor – at least in comparison to avocado fruits we are familiar with from stores.
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I would like to know about this too.
I know of an avocado growing in Russia, but don’t get excited, it’s Sochi area and I think they don’t even get - 10C there, so it might not be much help.
I’ve been planting and distributing hundreds of avocado trees over the last couple years in the hope of eventually answering this question, but it’s too early to say.
I have the “Poncho” or “Pancho” cultivar growing outside for a couple years now, and the coldest it has survived without protection was about 18°F (minus 7.8°C). I protected it fully (with a cover and heat bulb) on the few occasions it’s been colder than that. Here is what it looked like in its first winter outside:
More recent photos of that tree are here on the project website.
I’ve tested many first, second, and third year seedlings outdoors, including some that were grafted. Such young trees have almost all been killed above ground when unprotected below around 19°F (-7.2°C), and some have been killed entirely. But many of the ones killed above ground have continued to get larger each year as they regrow from the roots. I’m hoping for a few milder years to let some trees size up.
The most recent post in my avocado project thread shows a grafted tree that survived 14.7°F (-9.6°C) with only a bit of mulch mounded above the graft union:
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