Francis
Madame Francis Mango is a traditional dessert mango originating from Haiti, so popular that it is considered the country’s ‘
DE facto’ mango. In fact, Madame Francis is to Haiti what Alphonso is to India,
Carabao is to the Philippines, and
Ataulfo is to Mexico.
The bright medium green and yellow color fruit with an interior being dark orange with a hearty fibrous flesh is soft, juicy with a rich, spicy sweet flavor that speaks of the Caribbean. It is generally one of the first mangos to ripen during the season and often produces multiple crops here in Florida and throughout the tropics.
Madame Francis Mangos have a vigorous & spreading growth habit that produces a sprawling, dense and open canopy. As a result, Madame Francis can realistically be kept between 10 – 20 feet tall with annual pruning. When fully ripe and mature, Madame Francis Mangos will emit a delightful mango aroma. Upon cutting into the fruit, you’ll find juicy orange flesh with a somewhat stringy and fibrous texture, though not to the extent of the ‘mango floss’ commonly found in East Indian Mangos.
Below is an excerpt on the history of Madame Francis Mango from Walter Zill’s autobiography:
This
Polyembryonic mango from Haiti is an example of how attached persons become to the mango they ate as children or was readily available where they lived for some time. When Dad and I went to Haiti collecting seed of what we know as lurpentine we found they had some varieties new to us. The only one of lasting interest to me is often seen in grocery stores imported from Haiti called Madam Francis, or Francisque.
Where we found fully mature specimens, I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor. The fibrous pulp was tolerable to me, but I rather not have trees around spreading their pollen that can introduce fibrous characteristics in new varieties grown from seeds pollinated by the now plentiful Francisque. Haitians plant seeds, and f’rancisque “comes true, meaning there is insignificant difference, if any, between mother seed yielding plant and that which grows from her seed.
The trees grow very upright and large, bearing well the early ripening, commercially shaped, being elongated and chunky enough to be packed efficiently) green fruit of about 12 ounces and heavier. Green, then yellow when ripe.
Walter Zill, Maturing With Mangoes
