Monthly Archives: Sunday May 29th, 2011

The cold-hardy Gomera-1 Mango Tree

Canarius | Sunday May 29th, 2011 |

Gomera-1 is a hardy variety of Mango suited to a coastal Mediterranean climate. It is used as a rootstock for grafting other cultivars of mango, because the roots of Gomera-1 grow better in colder or dryer areas and improve the cold-hardiness of the plant.

Two Mango Gomera-1 trees in a poorly irrigated terrace in Southern Anaga, Tenerife.

This variety of mango is well adapted to the environment of the Canary Islands. It can be seen thriving in windy areas with rocky soils. It is unscathed by cool and wet winters and fruits very well and regularly. It is found on many islands and it was probably, initially brought from Cuba. The name Gomera refers to the island of La Gomera, one of the seven islands of our archipelago. This is where Canarian agronomists collected the first samples to study this mango which is quite common in the rural areas of the islands.  Fruits are yellow, small to average size (250 g average), with  very good flavour, sweet, aromatic, with a high content in fibres.

Yellow fruits of the Cold Hardy Canarian Mango named Gomera – 1

Cultivation

It needs just the same conditions of any other mango trees. It is reproduced from seed. As a polyembrionic Mango, 90% of the seedlings are true to type. Adult trees are able to flower up to 3 times a year. If it is too cold or wet, they will loose the inflorescences and flower again, about 2 months later, until the right season for fruit set is matched. In order to achieve larger fruits sizes, it is good to remove by hand 1/3 of the fruits from the bunch. Gomera-1 fruits outdoors in coastal Mediterranean climates and it needs little or no protection in coastal Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece and also in the French Riviera.

Use as Root Stock for Grafting

Mango Gomera is regularly used as a rootstock for grafting throughout the Canary Islands and also in Andalusia. The use of the Canarian Hardy Mango as a rootstock permitted to push the commercial production of Mango in the Mediterranean basin, because the roots are hardier to cold and wet soil. All the different varieties of mango trees that we offer for sale are grafted on Gomera-1 rootstocks, so our customers in Europe will get the benefit of some added cold resistance from the roots.

Gomera mango trees used as a rootstock to graft different varieties

Gomera mango trees used as a rootstock to graft different varieties

Scientific Literature in Spanish about Mango Gomera

Mejora del Mango en Canarias

Gomera-1 en el programa de mejora del Mango

Buy cold hardy mango trees in our Shop

In our shop you can purchase small trees of Gomera mangos and also a wide selection of mango trees of different varieties. All trees are grafted by hand, with specific cultivars. We ship them directly to your home. Try also our delicious Mango jam with or without sugar, in the honeys & jams section, produced with the mangoes of the Canary Islands.

Red Leaf Palms from Tenerife to Europe. Pictures and Videos.

Palmera de hoja roja. Palma dalla foglia rossa. Chambeyronia Canarius | Saturday May 28th, 2011 |

This palm produces new leaves that are red for one or two weeks. Then they turn green and you have to wait for another new leaf in order to see again the red colour.  The Latin name of this unusual palm is Chambeyronia macrocarpa. It is native to New Caledonia and takes light frosts.  Red Leaf Palms grow outdoors in the coastal Mediterranean climate, even though it is very slow. They are grown successfully in Portugal, Spain, Southern France, Italy and Greece.

This palm grows a bit faster in the Canary Islands and many specimens are cultivated in Tenerife for sale. Red-leaf-palms are highly demanded palms in Europe.

Canarius.com offers different sizes of Chambeyronia and will ship them to your home. Some examples are:

Palmera de hoja roja. Palma dalla foglia rossa. Chambeyronia

 

Chambeyronia Macrocarpa

This video shows larger palms of the same species grown in the ground in Southern Tenerife. These are also cultivated for commercial purposes. It is spectacular to see so many red leaves.

Not all palms are tropical plants. Many palm species can resist snow and frost. Come and visit our shop at www.canarius.com . We offer above 100 palm species and will ship to your home.