The 'Julie' mango, also called 'Saint Julian', 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 was made popular 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 (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
, although its
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 ...
trait suggests it is descended from the Indian line of mangoes.
Julie was recognized for its outstanding flavor and dwarf growth habit. It was introduced to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
via
south Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
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
Carrie may refer to:
People
* Carrie (name), a female given name and occasionally a surname
Places in the United States
* Carrie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community
* Carrie, Virginia, an unincorporated community
* Carrie Glacier, Olympic Nati ...
'. Julie is also the parent of '
Graham
Graham and Graeme may refer to:
People
* Graham (given name), an English-language given name
* Graham (surname), an English-language surname
* Graeme (surname), an English-language surname
* Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer
* Clan ...
', a variety from Trinidad.
The cultivar proved to be difficult to adapt to the humid climate of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, 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 a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
, 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 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 ...
, 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 sub ...
, 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 ...
, 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