Fruiting Trees, Shrubs and Herbaceous Plants -- M

++ Indicates that this is a variety or a species that is found in our arboretum, but not often stocked in our nursery. Inquire about availability. If we do not have it in stock, we can put you on our "waitlist" and call you when we have it available. 

Macadamia 

Macadamia tetraphylla

Macadamia is a moderately hardy tree for south Florida and produces a very high quality nut in one to five years. ECHO sells air-layered trees that are capable of producing nuts one year after propagation. The tree does not require high soil fertility, but will probably need granular or foliar micronutrient sprays of zinc, iron, and manganese (take care not to over fertilize). Good soil drainage is also required. Mature trees can withstand 25-26ºF for short periods with minor damage to the foliage. Young trees and foliage are very tender and are killed very near freezing. Temperatures of 27º F and lower damages flowers and young fruit, reducing production. Nuts can be cracked open using a PVC cutter or after roasting. To roast, simply place nuts, shells included, on a cookie sheet in the oven at 300º F for 15 minutes. Turn oven off and let nuts cool inside on tray. Kernels will shrink some and shell will become brittle and easy to crack. A few mature macadamia trees are located in the arboretum.

'Dana White' is the most prolific bearer in Florida. It was developed in Homestead. When blooming, the tree is nearly white with blossoms. It may be one of the more cold hardy varieties for Florida use. The nut tastes the same as the Arkin variety but is contained in a very hard shell.

++'Beaumont', a well-known recommended dooryard variety, has spiny leaves, attractive red young growth, and pink blossoms. The tree produces favorably and holds nuts on the tree well. Although Beaumont trees may bear alternately, the harvest period can last over 6 months.

'Arkin Papershell' bears almost as well as 'Dana White', but its claim to fame is that each nut has a blemish or small crack somewhere on the shell, and if properly struck with a hammer, the shell will crack open readily.

++'Kaui' is a commercial variety from Hawaii that bears slightly larger fruit. The tree is upright in habit and productive.

Madagascar Plum (Governor's Plum)

Flacourtia indica

Madagascar or Governor's Plum is a bush or small tree, easy to grow, and native to southern Asia. The tree can be male or female. The fruits are about one inch wide and can be eaten fresh or made into preserves. They are sweet, with a texture and flavor similar to a plum, but quality varies and they are often astringent and slightly bitter. They seem to be self-fertile. The plant is fairly hardy in southern Florida. Our current selection comes from a good-tasting selection in the Congo, Central Africa. 

Mango 

Mangifera indica

FCFS available. This tasty and nutritious fruit is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. It grows in the tropics and warm subtropics. It will grow in poor soils and does not need a lot of water. Good production starts in 3 to 4 years with grafted trees. Wet or cool weather during bloom in the spring limits fruit set. Temperatures of 40º F will damage mango blossoms. Mature trees may tolerate 25º F for a few hours with leaf and small branch damage, but young trees may be killed at 29-30º F. Trees in the tropics become large and stately like oaks. Warning: Some people react to the skin of mango fruit like they do to poison ivy. Most of these varieties, as well as many others, are growing somewhere on our property.

'Alphonso', one of the most popular varieties in India, is a very large variety, often with a red hue on its skin. It has a distinctive luscious taste, and leaves a lingering flavor on the palate. It is valued for its overtones of rose, pineapple and nectarine flavors.

'Bailey's Marvel' was discovered on Pine Island, and is one of the most cold tolerant mangoes. The fruit is medium-sized, oval-shaped, yellow and reddish. The yellow flesh is juicy, sweet, fibreless, and has superb flavor. The fruit will not ripen if picked before the skin develops a reddish blush. It is a productive tree that bears July-mid August.

'Beverly' is a yellow skinned mango with yellow flesh. The fruit is of excellent quality and it has a sweet, smooth and rich mango flavor. Flesh is juicy, melting, and virtually fibreless. Beverly is a low spreading tree that is a good producer. It is a late mango bearing into September.

++'Carabao' is the main export mango of the Philippines. The long, greenish-yellow, nearly fibreless fruit has an excellent mild flavor. Season June-July. This cultivar is reported to be a poor producer in Florida.

'Carrie' is a mango lover's dream with deep, orange, fibreless, highly aromatic flesh. It is extremely tender, juicy, and has excellent sweet and tangy flavor. The fruit is of small size with a thin skin that is green to yellow when ripe. Carrie is an excellent dooryard variety that consistently produces and is moderately resistant to anthracnose. Season June-July.

'Cogshall' This dwarf mango is an ultra compact grower suitable for small yards or container growing. This variety produces sweet, fibreless fruit. It can easily be maintained at eight feet tall, while still consistently producing a good size crop. Fruit ripens from June to July.

'Cushman' is an excellent mid to late season mango that reportedly resembles a grapefruit in size, shape, and color. The flesh is smooth, creamy, and fibreless. Trees have poor disease resistance and will require fungicide treatments to keep the tree looking good. Fruit ripens July to August.

'Dot,' a seedling of 'Carrie', has such a rich, full-bodied mango flavor that even mango lovers can eat only a few at a time. The fruit is medium-sized and has an exceptionally strong aroma. The skin is yellow with pink blush and easily separates from the flesh. The sweet flesh is deep yellow, juicy and has little fiber that makes the fruit somewhat firm. The fruits are susceptible to anthracnose. Dot has a long season, bearing June-August and is an excellent dooryard choice.

'Duncan' is a mid to late season fruit bearing July to August. Fruits are yellow and weigh ¾ to 1 ½ lbs. This fibreless fruit is rated by Fairchild gardens as having good to excellent flavor and has a unique, sugary melon-like flavor.

'Edward' resulted from a cross of 'Haden' with 'Carabao'. Skin color varies from yellow to pink. The flesh is deep yellow to orange, sweet, savory, and fibreless. It is one of the best-flavored mangoes but production is usually low in Florida. Season June-July.

'Fairchild' is a fiberless Panamanian selection of excellent eating quality. The flesh is firm, juicy, and aromatic. The fruit itself is small and pale yellow, but the tree has attributes that make up for the less than stellar appearance. With very little effort the tree can be maintained at a height of ten feet and grown in a container. The fruit ripens June to July.

'Glenn', a seedling of 'Haden', bears medium-sized yellow fruits with orange-red blush. The tender, juicy flesh is deep yellow and has little fiber. The flavor is rich, tangy, and of excellent quality. The season is June - July, 7-10 days earlier than 'Haden'. Glenn has moderate resistance to anthracnose and is highly recommended as a dooryard variety.

'Haden' produces one of the most attractive red-colored fruits. The flavor is very good and the flesh is firm, containing some fiber. It is susceptible to disease and tends to bear irregularly. The tree is vigorous and large. Bears June-mid July.

'Irwin' is a fiberless Florida cultivar known for its consistent and heavy production. The flesh is sweet, melting, aromatic and of good eating quality. The skin is a showy deep crimson red. The tree is a moderately vigorous grower attaining heights of 15-20 feet adorned with fruit that often hang in clusters. Fruit ripen from June to early July.

'Julie' is a slow-growing, dwarf mango especially popular in Jamaica. A mature tree grows 18 ft. tall and is very productive. It bears small red to yellow fruit with low fiber content and unique flavor. Good container tree. Julie trees are resistant to disease and fruit flies. Season July-Aug.

'Keitt' is a greenish-yellow mango with crimson blush. The flesh is yellow, firm, juicy, and contains a little fiber. The flavor is sweet and mild. The fruit can weigh between ¾ to 4 lbs. The tree's open growth habit makes it more susceptible to cold injury. Keitt is moderately resistant to anthracnose and consistently produces heavy crops. This leading, late season commercial variety bears fruit August through early October.

'Kent' mangoes have greenish-yellow skin with dark red blush and weigh over a pound. The flesh is somewhat firm, fibreless, and esteemed by many as one of Florida's finest mangoes. The trees are productive and exhibit more cold or freeze tolerance than other varieties.  Kent trees bear July through August.

'Malika' is among the finest of Indian desert mangos. Fairchild Tropical Gardens describes the fruit as canary yellow, with an average weight of about 1 lb, with a fibreless, firm, deep orange flesh and a rich, highly aromatic and complex flavor. They recommend harvesting fruits before they ripen on the tree and storing them at room temperature for 2 to 3 weeks in order to achieve the intensely sweet, honey-like flavor. The tree is compact and moderately vigorous. Season: July-August.

'Nam Doc Mai' is esteemed by Asian cultures as a pickled fruit, or as one eaten green or ripe. This Thai mango is elongated and tapers to a point. The skin is green-gold to bright yellow when ripe and easy to peel. The flesh is tender, juicy, and fibreless. It has rich sweet flavor, contains little acid, and is of excellent eating quality. Nam Doc Mai will produce consistently even if kept as a small tree and may bear multiple crops throughout June and July.

++'Okrung' is a green-skinned Thai mango variety that is eaten firm and unripe and after it has ripened. The flesh is soft, juicy, very sweet with low acid, and abundant fiber. Okrung is highly productive and has a long season: June-August.

'Palmer' is a medium to large tree with large fruit, 20-30 ounces. Fruit is orange/yellow with a red blush and fibreless. Produces July to August and sometimes into September.

++'Pim San Mun' is esteemed as one of the finest green mangoes of Thailand. Unripe fruits are crisp, fibreless, and refreshingly delicious with flavor similar to a green apple. Ripened fruits are yellow and have good flavor. If the weather conditions permit, this cultivar will bear multiple crops throughout the summer beginning in early June.

'Southern Blush' is similar to 'Tommy Atkins' with less fiber and better flavor. It is also an early season variety.

'Tommy Atkins,' one of Florida's important commercial varieties, is a consistent, heavy bearer with good resistance to anthracnose. The medium-sized fruit is attractive with orange-yellow skin and red blush. The flesh is firm, yellow, juicy, and contains some fiber, contributing to a longer shelf life. Fruit quality is known to decrease when trees are over-fertilized and irrigated. Bears June-July.

'Valencia Pride' is one of the faster growing mangoes; its growth form may become 'leggy'. The fruit is long, tapered, and yellow with crimson blush. The flesh is yellow-pink, juicy, contains little fiber, and has excellent, tangy, mango flavor. Valencia Pride is a consistent producer and recommended dooryard variety. Bears July-August.

*Manager's Choice

Early season: Glenn

Mid-season: Malika

Late season: Valencia Pride 

Table 4 Fruiting seasons in southwest Florida for mango varieties, as described in the text.

Miracle Fruit 

Synsepalum dulcificum

FCFS available. This shrub is native to West Africa and fruits when only 1 or 2 feet tall. At maturity it will reach seven feet. Miracle fruit produces small red fruits several times each year. The "miracle" is that if lemon or other sour fruit is eaten after the miracle fruit, the sour fruit tastes sweet. A natural chemical in the fruit masks the tongue's sour taste buds so that lemons taste like lemonade or lemon pie! The sweet sensation lasts from 20 minutes to 2 hours. Miracle fruit must have acid soil, is frost sensitive, and requires partial shade. It is an excellent choice for a containerized tree, which gives it the added benefit of mobility. Fill a container with a 50:50 mix of peat moss and perlite; this combination will create an acidic environment with good drainage. See some of these plants growing in the rainforest clearing, or next to the steps going into our library. 

Mombin, Red (Ciruela, Hog Plum, Jocote) 

Spondias purpurea

FCFS available. This heavy producing tree has become a favorite at ECHO. The pleasant smell of the fruit can be noted many feet away. The 1- to 2 inch long oval or oblong fruits have a fairly large seed. The skin is waxy and thin and the juicy flesh is aromatic with a plum-like flavor that is acid to subacid. The fruit can be eaten fresh or stewed with sugar as a dessert or can be used to make a very good jam. Mombin butter, using an apple butter recipe, is exceptionally tasty. The tree is deciduous, fast growing, and may produce fruit before leafing out in the spring. The young leaves can be eaten cooked but they have a sour flavor. The tree grows well in a wide variety of soils. They can be propagated easily by putting large cuttings in the ground and they make a good living fence. ECHO's tree produced several dozen fruits the second summer after it froze almost to the ground from the freeze of '89. It bears May through June. 

Mulberry 

Morus rubra

Mulberry grows vigorously and fruits spring through early summer here in southwest Florida. Severe summer pruning encourages fruiting in the summer and fall and renews vigor. Caterpillars sometimes attack the leaves, but there is no concern about freeze damage to this tree. The Mulberry is a hardy, deciduous tree that tolerates both flooding and drought. The multiple fruit resembles a long slender blackberry; they make excellent jams and are relished by birds. We have a 'Tice' Mulberry tree growing near the duckpond.

'Tice' fruit is large and sweet with good flavor and large leaves.

'Everbearing' is variety of mulberry is known as one of the longest ripening varieties with fruit ripening over several weeks, therefore the name everbearing. Sweet, delicious fruit is black, nearly seedless and up to 1 1/2" long.

'White' most cold-hardy of the mulberry varieties. Named for the color of its buds, and bears earlier in the Spring.