History

'Glenn' was reportedly a seedling of a Saigon that was planted in Miami, Florida

Miami, Florida

Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

 in 1940. It was moved to the property of Roscoe E. Glenn in 1943. The tree first produced fruit in 1945, and was found to be of good quality. While it was propagated thereafter in the state, it did not gain widespread commercial acceptance due to perceptions of lacking ideal storage characteristics. It would take several decades for the tree to become recognized for a variety of positive characteristics that would make it a popular selection. Aside from the quality of the fruit, the tree could also be maintained at a reasonably small height and width (making pruning and harvesting easier), was moderately disease resistant, and usually produced a good-sized crop.

Pedigree analysis has been conflicting on the true parentage of 'Glenn'. A 1995 analysis disputed that the 'Haden' parentage, while a 2005 analysis found that 'Haden' was indeed the most likely parent of 'Glenn'. Though publicized as a 'Haden' seedling, Roscoe Glenn himself later stated the cultivar was a seedling of 'Saigon'. Color, flavor, and and its monoembryonic trait lend evidence that 'Glenn' was a 'Haden' seedling however.

'Glenn' trees are planted in the collections of the USDA's germplasm repository in Miami, the University of Florida's Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, Florida

Homestead, Florida

Homestead is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States nestled between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Homestead is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area....

, and the Miami-Dade Fruit and Spice Park

Fruit and Spice Park

The Fruit and Spice Park is a botanical garden in metropolitan Miami at 24801 SW 187 Avenue, located in the rural agricultural community of the Redland, Florida, United States.-Exhibits:...

, also in Homestead.

Description

The tree is relatively small and produces a compact, rounded canopy. Trees can grow up to 30 feet tall but are often kept well under this height by regular pruning. They will generally begin producing fruit 3 to 4 years after planting, and thereafter will produce medium-to-large sized crops regularly.

The fruit is oval to oblong in shape, with a rounded base and a pointed apex which lacks a beak, and is usually within 300-600 g in weight. It has thin but tough skin which turns bright yellow when ripe. The fruit will develop an orange to red blush on 25-50% of its surface when exposed to the sun, while it remains completely yellow if in the shade. It has rich and sweet flavor and fiberless flesh (containing a monoembryonic seed), with a pleasant aroma. In Florida, the fruit matures from early June to early July.