A wife’s name in the research orchard
Hanan Oppenheimer named his promising Israeli seedling for Maya.
Maya — Rehovot, Israel
Documented history
On a visit to Rehovot, horticulturist Wilson Popenoe saw a local mango seedling that impressed him. His 1959 account records that Hanan Oppenheimer had named it Maya in honour of his wife. A personal dedication had become part of the research orchard.
Popenoe considered Haden a likely pollen parent, a useful reminder that even an eyewitness account can leave the pedigree uncertain. Later Israeli agricultural records describe Maya as an established local cultivar. Its first story is wonderfully direct: a horticulturist found a mango worth keeping and gave it the name of someone he loved.
The names it answers to
- Maya
- Named by Hanan Oppenheimer for his wife Maya.
- Queen Maya
- A market description used by Israeli exporter Miriam Shoham.