A mother’s name, a lucky surviving tree
A seedling intended to support another mango became the fruit the family wanted to keep.
Carrie — Boynton Beach / Delray Beach, Florida, United States
Documented history
Carrie was selected by the Zill family in the 1940s from a field of seedlings intended for rootstock. Its family line ran through Sophie Frey to the Caribbean Julie. Instead of remaining an anonymous support for a graft, this seedling became worth growing for its own fruit.
The family named it for Carrie Zill, Laurence Zill’s mother. It is a lovely reversal of the usual catalogue story: a fruit now admired by collectors began in practical nursery work and kept a mother’s name. Later selections, including Angie, continued that family of mangoes.
The names it answers to
- Carrie
- Named for Carrie Zill, Laurence Zill’s mother.
- Sophie Frey / Sophia Frey
- Names used for the seed parent, not aliases for Carrie.