Spirit of '76 (mango)


The 'Spirit of '76' mango is a named mango cultivar 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 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 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's germplasm repository in Miami, Florida, and the Miami-Dade Fruit and Spice Park in Homestead, Florida.

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 seed. The fruit ripen from June to July in Florida.
The trees are moderately vigorous growers with spreading canopies.