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, with over 1000 varieties in India.
Most commercial cultivars belong to ''Mangifera indica'', while a few commercial varieties grown in Sou ...
which originated in
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 ...
.
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 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 ...
in 1939. However, recent genetic analysis suggests Keitt was actually a seedling of
Brooks
Brooks may refer to:
Places
;Antarctica
*Cape Brooks
;Canada
*Brooks, Alberta
;United States
*Brooks, Alabama
* Brooks, Arkansas
*Brooks, California
*Brooks, Georgia
* Brooks, Iowa
* Brooks, Kentucky
* Brooks, Maine
*Brooks Township, Michigan
* ...
, 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 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, 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 b ...
, 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, with over 1000 varieties in India.
Most commercial cultivars belong to ''Mangifera indica'', while a few commercial varieties grown in Sou ...
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