Irwin (mango)

The 'Irwin' mango is a commercial mango cultivar which was developed in South Florida.

History
The original Irwin tree was a seedling of the Lippens cultivar that was open-cross pollinated with Haden, planted on the property of F.D. Irwin in Miami, Florida in 1939. The tree first bore fruit in 1945 and was named and described in 1949. The fruit gained commercial acceptance due to its good production, flavor, relative disease resistance, and attractive color. 'Irwin' has also been sold as a nursery stock tree for home growing in Florida.

Today, Irwin is grown on a commercial scale in a number of countries, including South Korea, (particularly on Jeju Island), Japan, Taiwan, and Australia, where it was introduced in the 1970s.

The Irwin mango was first grown in Taiwan in 1962 by Cheng Han-chih (鄭罕池) in Douliuzai Village, Yujing District, Tainan, Taiwan. In 1973, the government designated Douliuzai Village as a mango special agricultural zone. By the 1970s the residents of Douliuzai Village were known for their wealth due to mango cultivation. Cheng Han-chih is considered to be the godfather of Taiwan's lucrative modern mango industry. Irwin mangos have been the most popular mango in the Taiwanese market for fifty years.

Irwin trees are planted in the collections of the USDA's germplasm repository in Miami, the University of Florida's Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, Florida, and the Miami-Dade Fruit and Spice Park, also in Homestead.

Description
Irwin fruit is of ovate shape, with a rounded base and a pointed apex, lacking a beak. The smooth skin develops an eye-catching dark red blush at maturity. The flesh is yellow and has a mild but sweet flavor and a pleasant aroma. It is fiberless and contains a monoembryonic seed. The fruit typically mature from June to July in Florida and is often born in clusters.

The trees are moderately vigorous growers capable of exceeding 20 feet in height if left unpruned, developing open canopies.