Mango 'Alphonso' (Mangifera indica)
Alphonso is known as ‘King of the Mangos’ due to its incredibly sweet taste, fragrance, and consistency. It is a disease-resistant, semi-dwarf that grows 10-15 feet high and produces its tantalizing fruit earlier than most mango varieties.
Alphonso was developed on the western coast of India in the 1500s through a grafting process and is highly prized and celebrated all over the country to this day with festivals and parties during its short season. It is named after Alphonso de Albuquerque, who was the viceroy of Portuguese India and was instrumental in its development.
Flowers bloom on the tree in early winter and develop into fruit between March and June. The mango fruit is small and egg-shaped (5-10 oz.), with thin yellow skin that blushes red below the stem when ripe. The creamy, fiberless pulp is deep yellow with an amazingly sweet flavor of peach, apricot, melon, and citrus. It is excellent to eat out of hand and can be used fresh in salads, sorbets, ice creams, smoothies, purees, and desserts of all kinds. To top it off, Alphonso is high in vitamin C and other essential vitamins, potassium, and magnesium, and is known to aid in digestion.
Alphonso grows best in full sun, in rich, moist, well-draining soil. Since it is a small tree, it is perfect for limited spaces in warm climates and can be grown as a container tree in cooler, northern zones. It is hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11 with some frost protection until well-established.
Plant Type:
Tropical / Subtropical Evergreen Fruit Tree
Harvest Season:
Late-Spring to Late-Summer, depending on variety
In the early spring, Mangifera indica blossoms with clusters of flower spikes, and fruits mature over a matter of months, giving way to delicious juicy oblong fruits just in time for summer.
Mature Size:
The mature size of a mango tree really depends on the variety of mango. Dwarf Mango varieties (aka condo mangoes like our Pickering Mango) can be dwarfed in planters and max out at around 6-10 feet, whereas some mango varieties reach upwards of 20-40 ft tall. A mango tree's canopy spread will be almost as wide as the height of the tree.
Soil & Moisture:
Mango trees prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil that is well-draining, rocky, sandy, high, and dry. It requires moderate moisture throughout the year with more watering throughout flowering and fruiting season and less during the winter. Mango trees will generally grow well in many soil types as long as there is good drainage.
Light Requirements:
Full Sun
Self-Fertile:
Yes
Growth Rate:
Fast
Zone Hardiness:
Outdoors 9-11 (with frost protection until established); Patio/Greenhouse 4+
There is some slight variation of cold tolerance depending on variety. Dwarf varieties of mango trees are really well-suited for containers and can easily be brought indoors during the winter.
Propagation:
Large Pot Size: Grafted and capable to produce within 1-3 years.
X-Large Pot Size: Grafted and capable to produce within 1 year.
See More:
Shop all of our Mango tree varieties.
