The 'Young' mango, also known as the 'Tebow', is a
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 the result of a mango hybridization program begun in 1956 and conducted by David Sturrock of
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lagoon. The populati ...
. Sturrock crossed several varieties, including the
Edward and
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
cultivars. 'Edward x Kent #14', which grew from an Edward seed, was named 'Young' after Dr. T.W. Young. It first fruited in 1964 and was deemed the only variety from its group worth keeping and evaluating.
'Young' trees were planted in other locations, including the University of Florida's Tropical Research and Education Center 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 ...
, 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 ...
. However, the cultivar was not heavily propagated for close to 40 years until it began being marketed under the name 'Tebow', with the name coming from quarterback
Tim Tebow. Tebow's association with the fruit has led to him being frequently referred to as "The Fifth Highwayman".
Description
The fruit has a roundish shape similar to Kent, lacking a lateral beak, and averages about a pound in weight. The skin color is golden yellow with orange blush, similar to its parent Edward. The flesh is pale yellow, fiberless and has a very mild flavor. It contains a small
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 has good fungus resistance and trees are productive. The fruit typically ripens from July to August in Florida.
These mangoes are fairly flammable and often are burned in forest fires. Regeneration sometimes isn't possible.
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:Young (Mango)
Mango cultivars