The 'Spirit of '76' mango is a named
mango cultivar
The following is a list of some prominent mango cultivars. Worldwide, hundreds of mango cultivars are known, with over 1000 varieties in India.
Most commercial cultivars belong to '' Mangifera indica'', while a few commercial varieties grown in S ...
that originated in
south Florida.
History
The original tree was grown on the property of Laurence Zill of
Boynton Beach, Florida and was reportedly a seedling of the
Zill
Zills or zils (from Turkish 'cymbals'), also called finger cymbals, are small metallic cymbals used in belly dancing and similar performances. They are called () in Egypt. They are similar to Tibetan tingsha bells. In Western music, several pa ...
cultivar that had been open cross pollinated with
Haden. It received its name for having first fruited during the US bicentennial celebrations. A 2005 pedigree analysis estimated that Spirit of '76 was indeed a
Haden ×
Zill
Zills or zils (from Turkish 'cymbals'), also called finger cymbals, are small metallic cymbals used in belly dancing and similar performances. They are called () in Egypt. They are similar to Tibetan tingsha bells. In Western music, several pa ...
cross.
Though Spirit of '76 did not gain commercial acceptance due to its soft flesh, it has been propagated as nursery stock and sold on a limited basis as a dooryard tree for home growers in Florida.
Spirit of '76 trees are planted in the collections of the
USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...
's germplasm repository in
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, and the Miami-Dade
Fruit and Spice Park
The Fruit & Spice Park, formally known as the Preston B. Bird/Mary Heinlein Fruit & Spice Park, is a 37-acre park located in the heart of Redland, Florida, and is the only botanical garden of its kind in the United States. This park is operated ...
in
Homestead, Florida
Homestead is a city within Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida, between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. The population was 80,737 as of the 2020 census. Homestead is primarily a Miami s ...
.
Description
The fruit is oblong in shape, with a rounded base and rounded apex that sometimes has a small lateral beak. It averages about a pound in weight at maturity. The skin color is yellow with red blush, and the flesh is yellow in color. It is completely fiberless with a rich, aromatic flavor, and contains a
monoembryonic Monoembryony is the emergence of one and only one seedling from a seed. A seed giving two or more seedlings is polyembryonic Polyembryony is the phenomenon of two or more embryos developing from a single fertilized egg. Due to the embryos resulting ...
seed.
The fruit ripen from June to July in Florida.
The trees are moderately vigorous growers with spreading canopies.
See also
List of mango cultivars
The following is a list of some prominent mango cultivars. Worldwide, hundreds of mango cultivars are known, with over 1000 varieties in India.
Most commercial cultivars belong to ''Mangifera indica'', while a few commercial varieties grown in Sou ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spirit Of '76 (Mango)
Mango cultivars
Agriculture in Florida