The 'Julie' mango, also called 'Saint Julian', is a named
mango cultivar that was made popular in the Caribbean. It is considered to be one of the best mangoes in the Caribbean.
History
The origins of 'Julie' are uncertain but recent genetic studies show that it possibly descended from cultivars introduced to the Caribbean through Jamaica and Trinidad from
Réunion
Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...
, although its
monoembryonic trait suggests it is descended from the Indian line of mangoes.
'Julie' was recognized for its outstanding flavor and dwarf growth habit. Most importantly it is known as the second best mango in the Caribbean (second to starch). It was introduced to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
via
south Florida by Lawrence Zill, a nurseryman and horticulturalist known for producing new mango varieties. Several Florida varieties are descended directly or indirectly from Julie, including '
Sophie Fry', '
Gary' and '
Carrie'. 'Julie' is also the parent of '
Graham', a variety from Trinidad.
The cultivar proved to be difficult to adapt to the humid climate of
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, however, and was very susceptible to fungus, making it unsuitable for commercial growing. Nevertheless, the variety was sold as nursery stock for home growing and continues to be done so on a limited scale. It remains a popular variety in the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
, where it is often referred to as 'Saint Julian' mango.
'Julie' trees are part of the collections of the
USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...
's germplasm repository in
Miami, Florida, the University of Florida's Tropical Research and Education Center in
Homestead, Florida, and the Miami-Dade
Fruit and Spice Park, also in Homestead.
Description
The fruit is small, averaging less than a pound in weight at maturity. Skin color is green with some crimson blush. The fruit has a somewhat unusual shape that is ovate with a distinctive flattened side. The flesh is juicy and not fibrous, with a deep orange color and a very rich flavor. It contains a monoembryonic seed. In Florida, the fruit typically ripen from June to July.
[http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg216 Table 1]
The tree is famous for its small dwarfing growth habit. 'Julie' trees are very slow growing and in South Florida is able to maintain a height around 10 feet without pruning. In the Caribbean, however, there are 'Julie' mango trees that are over 30 feet tall.
The 30th legislature of the
United States Virgin Islands passed a resolution declaring the 'Julie' mango as the "Virgin Islands Fruit of Choice".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Julie (Mango)
Mango cultivars