History

Manilita came from the Pacific coast of southern Mexico. It is descended from a variety brought from southeast Asia, particularly from Manila, Philippines. This was possible through the Galleon Trade that existed between Manila and Acapulco, Mexico (1565-1815).

Manilita was introduced to the United States, where it has gained acceptance as a dooryard cultivar for home growing due to its small growth habit and fruit color. It was listed as a curator's choice mango at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is a botanic garden, with extensive collections of rare tropical plants including palms, cycads, flowering trees and vines. It is located in metropolitan Miami, just south of Coral Gables, Florida, United States, surrounded at the south and west by Matheson...

's 2010 International Mango Festival in Miami, Florida

Miami, Florida

Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

, and has been promoted by Fairchild for its positive characteristics.

A Manilita tree is planted in the collection of the USDA's mango germplasm repository in Miami, Florida.

Description

The fruit average less than a pound in weight at maturity and are enlongated in shape similar to southeast Asian descended cultivars. The skins turns a pastel red color, and the flesh is fiberless and sweet. In Florida, the fruit ripen early.

Trees are small and can be maintained at a height of 7 feet, lending to Manilita's labeling as a 'condo mango'.