Curator's Choice Mangos

Dr. Richard J. Campbell, and Noris Ledesma the Curators of Tropical Fruit, have carefully selected mango cultivars well-suited to contemporary conditions. These cultivars represent a new generation of mangos with superior horticultural traits. They remain small in stature, yet produce top quality fruit. Trees are approximately 3 ft. in height, growing in a 2 gallon plastic pot. For your convenience, a tree holding area is available both days of the Festival. (Sorry, we cannot pre-sell, hold or ship trees.).

2011 Curator's Choice Selections: 

'Angie' (Florida)

'Angie' was selected for home garden and estate agriculture in South Florida due to its compact growth habit, disease tolerance and overall fruit quality. The fruit are 400 g, oblong and saffron yellow with Indian orange blush on the sun-exposed shoulders. The skin is smooth and without visible lenticels. The flesh is tangerine orange and without fiber. The flavor is classified in the 'Alphonso' class of mangos with a deep sweetness and sophisticated profile rich in apricot. The disease tolerance is excellent and given its early season it often can be harvested before the rainy season in South Florida. The tree is semi-dwarf and highly manageable with annual pruning. Size can be maintained at or below 3 m with consistent production. The tree is easy to grow if nitrogen is kept low and the tree is not over-watered or grown in soils prone to flooding or with a high watertable.

 

'Jean Ellen' (Florida)

'Jean Ellen' was selected as a home garden variety due to its early season, heavy production and its multiple bearing habit. The fruit are 300 g, oblong to lanceolate with a lemon yellow color. There is no blush to the fruit. The skin is smooth and typically has numerous corky lenticels and due to its habit of fruiting during the windy Spring, there are typically visible abrasions on the surface of the fruit. The flesh is an opaque yellow and there is a small amount of rough fiber near to the seed. The flavor is classified in the 'Alphonso' class, with a sweet, simple flavor of tropical spice. The tree grows easily and is semi-dwarf and precocious. The tree and fruit are moderately tolerant of disease and there are typically multiple blooms during the year. The season is from April to June in South Florida. 

  

'Fairchild' (Panama)

'Fairchild' was selected by Dr. David Fairchild and his family in the early 1900s, in the Panama Canal Zone. The small, oblong fruit average 10 oz. and have lemon yellow skin at maturity in June and July. The juicy, fiber free flesh is deep orange and aromatic, with a rich, spicy flavor. 'Fairchild' always ranks among the top cultivars in public evaluations at Fairchild's annual International Mango Festival. The tree and fruit are highly tolerant of disease and fruit well under humid conditions, making it a natural for South Florida. The tree is among the most ornamental of mangos, with its compact shape and deep green color. It can be maintained at a height and spread of 8 ft. or less, perfect for those with a modest-sized home garden.

 

'Mallika' (India)

Mallika is a hybrid between Neelum and Dasheri, and is considered among the best of the new generation of Indian dessert mangos. The tree is semi-dwarf, making it attractive to mango growers outside of India, who are always looking for new niche markets around the world. The bright yellow fruit are a flattened oblong shape, with a rounded base and an irregular, non-waxy skin. The fruit weigh from10 to 18 oz. When properly ripened, the pasty, but completely fiber-free flesh is a deep orange, with an intensely sweet, rich and highly aromatic flavor. Mallika fruit are harvested mature-green, before they Abreak color on the tree and should be stored at a temperature of not less than 70F for 2 to 3 weeks for proper ripening. In this manner their ultimate eating quality will be achieved. The fruit can be refrigerated after complete ripening, but not before.

 

'San Felipe' (Cuba)

'San Felipe' is an eye-stopping beauty from western Cuba. She has many characteristics of the 'Haden' of Florida, although she is larger at nearly 1 ½ lb., with a bright yellow background color, an apple-red blush overlaid by a blanket of white dots. The tree is vigorous, yet productive and a consistent producer. The flesh color is a deep yellow to orange and the flavor is rich, sweet and spicy, one of the truly classic mango flavors of the world. 'San Felipe' is perfect for the home gardener in search of the taste of old Cuba, and for bragging rights among his neighbors.

 

 

  

 'Nam Doc Mai' (Thailand)

'Nam Doc Mai' is among the best dessert mangos of Thailand, with an exceptional appearance and eating quality. The fruit are long, slender and sigmoid, weighing from 12 to 16 oz. The ripe fruit range from a greenish- to canary-yellow, rarely with a reddish blush on the sun-exposed shoulder. The flesh is soft and juicy, with a sweet and aromatic flavor. 'Nam Doc Mai' has no fiber. In Thailand and throughout much of Asia, it encompasses what is most desired in terms of versatility and quality. It is used while mature green for dipping in sauces and for making sweet preserves and pickles. When ripe, they have a smooth, silky texture and extreme sweetness and bouquet. It has found a home in the Caribbean, where it grows and fruits well.

 

'Neelum' (India)

Neelum  is a South Indian dessert mango, widely grown throughout the country and to an increasing extent in southernmost China. The fruit weigh 9 oz, with a ovate-oblique shape. They are smooth-skinned and bright yellow upon ripening and have no blush. The flesh is deep yellow or orange. There is no fiber and a rich, aromatic flavor that is over-powering to the unaccustomed palate. Neelum is best eaten out-of-hand, or used as slices or cubes in mixed fruit salads, as the firm flesh holds its shape. They have a late ripening season and can be stored for an extended time, which offers advantages in marketing. However, the fruit are only occasionally exported outside of their production areas, due to significant local demand. Neelum is a dwarf tree and may fit into modern production systems, which will hopefully increase its availability in commercial export markets.

 

'Rosigold' (Florida)

'Rosigold' is a local selection of Southeast Asian heritage. It is the answer to those who just cannot wait for the mango season to arrive, because the fruit ripen from middle to late March. The fruit are cylindrical, weighing 11 oz and are a bright yellow, with crimson and red highlights on the sun-exposed shoulders. The skin is thick, tender and adhesive to the soft, melting and juicy deep-orange flesh. The flavor is rich, aromatic and sweet, with a hint of the Asian Tropics. There is no fiber in the silky flesh. The tree is small, manageable and highly productive and can be kept at 8 ft, while maintaining proper health and fruiting. Blooming often occurs in successive waves throughout the winter, resulting in a multi-harvest fruiting season. There is a need to thin fruit in most years to improve fruit size and quality.

 

 'Cogshall' (Florida) 

Cogshall was selected on Pine Island, Florida in the 1940s for its small tree size, good production, eating quality and beauty. It remained a local favorite for many years, but due to the softness of its flesh, it never became a commercial success.  The fruit weigh from 10 to 18 oz. The color is an eye-catching yellowish-orange, overlaid with a brilliant crimson blush. The soft, completely fibreless flesh has an excellent rich, spicy and aromatic flavor, which is sure to please even the most finicky of mango connoisseurs. The fruit and trees have good tolerance to fungal diseases. Fruit should be handled with care, as they are easily damaged due to the thin skin and soft flesh. The Cogshall tree remains small and compact and with minimal pruning can be maintained at a height and spread of 6 ft or less. Such a tree will easily produce 30 to 40 lb (3 to 4 boxes) of fruit while retaining health and vigor. The fruit is not available commercially outside of South Florida, and even within this region it is extremely difficult to find.

'Madame Francis' (Haiti)

Madame Francis is from Haiti, where it has been a traditional dessert cultivar for decades.  Fruit are oblong and sigmoid in shape, with an undulating skin surface and lightly waxed skin. Size ranges from 16 to 20 oz. The color is from greenish to bright yellow without any blush. The dark orange flesh is soft and juicy with a rich, spicy, and sweet flavor. There can be considerable fiber within the flesh. Madame Francis is one of the few specialty mangos that has been available within the United States for a number of years, being imported from Haiti to markets in the Eastern United States. Its eating quality is considered superior to other commercially available mangos, although the fiber can be excessive in some fruit. As the fruit are mostly harvest and collected from small farmers in the island nation of Haiti, there have been considerable problems associated with consistency of fruit quality. Also, consumers outside of specialty markets are unfamiliar with Madame Francis; therefore, its importance in export markets has remained limited. However, it is worth consideration due to its superior flavor.

Read information on growing mangos

For mango recipes and uses

Mango Blog: Mangos of Hawaii

Sponsorship opportunities

The Fairchild Farm: Home for the Mango Genetic Collection.