The 'Keitt' mango is a late-season
mango cultivar
The following is a list of some prominent mango cultivars. Worldwide, hundreds of mango cultivars are known.
Most commercial cultivars belong to ''Mangifera indica'', while a few commercial varieties grown in Southeast Asia belong to other ''Man ...
which originated in
south Florida
South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...
.
History
Keitt was reportedly a seedling of the
Mulgoba cultivar that was planted on the property of Mrs. J.N. Keitt in
Homestead, Florida
Homestead is a city within Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in the United States, U.S. state of Florida, between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Homestead is primarily a Miami suburb and ...
in 1939. However, recent genetic analysis suggests Keitt was actually a seedling of
Brooks
Brooks may refer to:
* Brook (small stream)
Places Antarctica
* Cape Brooks
Canada
*Brooks, Alberta
United Kingdom
* Brooks, Cornwall
* Brooks, Powys, a location
United States
* Brooks, Alabama
* Brooks, Arkansas
* Brooks, California
*Brooks, ...
, which would help explain its late-season ripening and large fruit size. The cultivar was selected and named in 1945, after which it quickly gained commercial nursery acceptance for its flavor, productivity and lack of fiber. The fruit lacked color, however, and was much larger than most varieties, limiting it from becoming a widespread commercial staple. It did gain popularity among Florida home growers and remains one of the more widely planted trees in the state today.
Keitt trees are planted in 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
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, the University of Florida's Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, 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 Redland, Florida, and it is the only botanical garden of its kind in the United States. This park is operated by Miami-D ...
, also in Homestead.
Description
The trees are vigorous growers, but tend not to reach heights much over 20 feet. It has a low spreading habit that is not as compact as most other mango trees, and develops an open canopy. Fruit production is relatively heavy and consistent.
The fruit is comparatively large, some reaching up to several pounds in weight. They are of ovoid shape with a rounded apex lacking a beak. The skin color is typically green with some light red blush. The flesh has fibers, tangy and sweet, with a
monoembryonic Monoembryony is the emergence of one and only one seedling from a seed. A seed giving two or more seedlings is polyembryonic. Some of the nuclear cells surrounding the embryo sac
In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to an ...
seed. The fruit generally has good disease resistance, and typically ripens from August until September in Florida,
[http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg216 Table 1] often into October as well, making it one of the more valued late-season varieties.
See also
*
List of mango cultivars
The following is a list of some prominent mango cultivars. Worldwide, hundreds of mango cultivars are known.
Most commercial cultivars belong to ''Mangifera indica'', while a few commercial varieties grown in Southeast Asia belong to other ''Man ...
External links
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7827883500929791807 - video description of 'Keitt' by Dr. Jonathan Crane of the University of Florida.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keitt (Mango)
Mango cultivars
Flora of Florida
Agriculture in Florida