| Mangifera 'Kent' | |
|---|---|
 'Kent' mangoes at the Redland Summer Fruit Festival, Fruit and Spice Park, Homestead, Florida | |
| Genus | Mangifera |
| Hybrid parentage | 'Brooks' × 'Haden' |
| Cultivar | 'Kent' |
| Origin | Florida, USA |
The 'Kent' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The original tree, a seedling of the Brooks cultivar started in September 1932, was planted on January 1, 1933 on the property of Leith D. Kent [1] in Coconut Grove, Florida. [2] [3] Kent was reportedly a cross between Brooks and Haden, which a 2005 pedigree analysis supported. [4] [5] The tree first bore fruit in 1938. It was selected, named, and described in 1945. Kent quickly rose in popularity in Florida for its excellent taste and lack of fiber. The tree was susceptible to anthracnose, however, and the fruit's poor shelf life limited its commercial scale in Florida.
Kent is grown on a limited commercial scale outside of the United States, particularly in Latin America. [6] Today it is still widely grown as a nursery stock tree for home growing in Florida, where it remains popular. Kent is a parent of several other Florida mangoes, including Young and possibly Gold Nugget and Jakarta.
Kent trees are planted in the collections of the USDA's germplasm repository in Miami, Florida, [7] the University of Florida's Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, Florida, [8] and the Miami–Dade Fruit and Spice Park, [9] also in Homestead. The original tree still stands in Coconut Grove.
In France, Kent is the main imported cultivar, [10] [11] with imports coming mainly from South America and Africa. [12] [13]
The tree is a vigorous grower, with a compact canopy and an upright growth habit. [14] It can get quite tall (in excess of 30 feet (9.1 m)) if allowed to do so. Kent trees generally produce a large crop.
The fruit typically weighs 20 to 26 ounces (570–740 g), is of oval shape, and has a rich, sweet flavor. It will usually turn a greenish-yellow color with some red blush as it matures. The seed is monoembryonic and will have a tendency to sprout in the fruit if left on the tree too long when ripening. The fruit typically matures from July to August in Florida, [15] sometimes into September. [16]
The 'Haden' mango is a named mango cultivar that became one of the most widely cultivated in the world after it was introduced in the early 20th century through south Florida. It would ultimately become the parent of many other mango cultivars later developed in Florida.
The 'Keitt' mango is a late-season mango cultivar which originated in south Florida.
The 'Irwin' mango is a commercial mango cultivar which was developed in South Florida.
The 'Edward' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The 'Dot' mango is a mango cultivar that originated in South Florida. The cultivar has limited to no commercial plantings but is sold as nursery stock for home use in Florida.
The 'Eldon' mango is a mango cultivar which originated in south Florida, USA. Eldon eventually became a commercially adopted variety.
The 'Sensation' mango is a late-season mango cultivar that originated in south Florida and was grown on a commercial scale.
The 'Cushman' mango is a mango cultivar that originated in south Florida. The variety had limited to no commercial application but has been sold as a dooryard tree.
The 'Palmer' mango is a large, commercially grown late-season mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The 'Brooks' mango is a late-season commercial mango cultivar that originated in south Florida. It is a parent of several varieties from the state.
The 'Bailey's Marvel' mango is a named, mid-season mango cultivar that originated in southwest Florida.
The 'Carrie' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida, USA.
The 'Cogshall' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in southwest Florida.
The 'Duncan' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida and was later patented.
The 'Beverly' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The 'Ford' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The 'Graham' mango is a named mango cultivar which originated in Trinidad.
The 'Valencia Pride' mango is a named late-season mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The 'Van Dyke' mango is a named commercial mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The 'Zill' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
