Considered the crown jewel of South Florida’s tropical fruits, mangos are indigenous to India and Southeast Asia and were first introduced here over 200 years ago.
The original Florida mango trees were actually planted by pirates along the coast from Sanibel to the Keys. Later, Dr. Henry Perrine attempted to cultivate mango seedlings on Indian Key in 1833; however, these died from neglect after he was killed in a Seminole raid led by the legendary warrior Chekika.
Records describe mango trees growing along the Miami River, planted by Dr. Fletcher in 1862. They were officially introduced by the USDA from India and received by Elbridge Gale and a few other growers. Over the years many more delicious varieties were developed, including by Dr. Fairchild, many bearing the names of the Floridians who discovered them.
Today, many people in South Florida have a mango tree or two in their backyard, and it is customary to share their abundant, juicy fruit with your friends and neighbors—creating a sense of togetherness that makes mango season all the more special.
But there was once a time where South Florida’s mango empire stretched along both the east and west coasts, some groves spanning 300 acres or more, with a 20-mile-wide heart from the outskirts of Miami to the fringes of the Redland, almost backed up to the Everglades.
Unfortunately, in modern day, many of Florida’s mango groves have been cleared for development and now most mangos in American supermarkets are imported from South America and the Caribbean—varieties that were developed here in South Florida.
Leave a Reply