Zill

The Zill cultivar was a 'Haden' seedling planted on the property of Carl King in Lake Worth, FL in 1922, and first fruited in 1930. Pedigree analysis has indicated that Bombay may have been one of its parents as well. Laurence Zill, a commercial fisherman turned-mango nurseryman, took interest in the tree and later had it moved to his property in Delray Beach, FL. Thereafter it took on the family name and received a considerable amount of propagation, even being planted commercially on some level in south Florida during the 1940s and 50s.

The fruit are small, Ovate in shape with a small beak, turning purple well before maturity and later developing an attractive red with yellow background color as they ripen. The flesh is yellow, soft, Fiberless , and contains a small Monoembryonic seed. The flavor is in the classic group, moderately sweet with notes of peach and hints of pineapple.

The fruit have excellent resistance to post-harvest Anthracnose , but tend to develop internal breakdown if they ripen on the tree. They can take on an unpleasant musky smell and taste when they go overripe, so Zill is a mango best harvested while still firm. The trees are vigorous growers with spreading growth habit and open canopy.

They possess very good fungal resistance and fruit well in the interior areas also. Zill appears to be very resistant to mango Bacterial Black Spot and rot too. Zill is an early season mango ripening from May to July.