| Mangifera 'Springfels' | |
|---|---|
 Springfels mangoes at the Redland Summer Fruit Festival, Fruit and Spice Park, Homestead, Florida | |
| Genus | Mangifera |
| Species | Mangifera indica |
| Hybrid parentage | 'Haden' x unknown |
| Cultivar | 'Springfels' |
| Breeder | Charles F. Springfels |
| Origin | Florida, USA |
The 'Springfels' mango is a large, commercially grown mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
Charles F. Springfels was a German immigrant to the United States who had established a jewelry manufacturing business in Buffalo, New York. When his health began to decline he moved to Florida, where he began experimenting with plants. [1] At his property in West Palm Beach, Florida a mango seed was planted in 1919, and the tree first fruited in 1925. The fruit were quite large, reaching several pounds in weight, had good eating qualities and shipped well, giving it potential as a commercial variety. The Springfels mango was reportedly a Haden seedling, which was later supported by a 2005 pedigree analysis. Some literature and physical characteristics had suggested that it had been a cross with Sandersha, [2] though the analysis did not support this. [3] Charles Springfels originally gave the fruit the name 'Springfels Superior'.
Springfels was well-received at a time when few alternatives existed to the Haden cultivar. Charles Springfels himself promoted the fruit heavily, submitting them for display at the Chicago fair [4] and even having a shipment of the fruit received by the White House in 1939. [5] The variety received some commercial plantings beginning in 1930, but did not gain widespread favor as new cultivars came into existence. A drawback for growers was the susceptibility of Springfels fruit to uneven ripening. The variety continued to be sold as nursery stock however, and is still sold in Florida on a small scale.
Springfels trees are planted in the collections of the USDA's germplasm repository in Miami, Florida, [6] the University of Florida's Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, Florida, [7] and the Miami-Dade Fruit and Spice Park, [8] also in Homestead. The original tree still stands in West Palm Beach.
The fruit is oblong in shape, with a rounded base and apex, normally lacking a beak. At maturity Springfels averages over a pound in weight. It can reach enormous size for a mango, as large as 4 pounds in some instances. The skin is bumpy and coloration is similar to Haden, with yellow background and red blush. The flesh is yellow, sweet, and aromatic with very light fiber and contains a monoembryonic seed. [9] The fruit typically mature from July to August in Florida.
The tree is a moderately vigorous grower with a spreading, compact canopy, though the trees do not typically exceed 20 feet in height.
The 'Kent' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
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 'Glenn' mango is a mango cultivar that 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 '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 '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 'Duncan' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida and was later patented.
The 'Fascell' mango is a named commercial mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The 'Ford' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The 'Lippens' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The 'Spirit of '76' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The 'Sunset' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in southwest Florida.
The 'Valencia Pride' mango is a named late-season mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The Saigon mango is a seedling race of mango cultivars originally introduced to the United States via seed from Southeast Asia.
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