Further to [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=200617]my fool's errand[/url] I googled around for more info on any mango trees growing in Los Angeles.
I found [url=https://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/calif/msg1015541126887.html?36]this promising reference[/url] on another forum:
I wanted to see it for myself, and maybe get a lead on what variety it was, how difficult it was to grow, etc. I work in Torrance, which is only 15 miles/20 minutes/$4 in gasI'm originally from Bellflower, Ca. and there is a huge mango tree of 605 fwy and Alondra. Before I left in June 2004, it was loaded.
. . . ok here is the exact location, if you are driving south on 605, exit Alondra, Go right. As soon as you make the right turn before the LA River bed. There is only two houses there, one of them has the mango tree and you can see it from the sidewalk.
from the fabled tree, so I took my lunch hour and drove out there.I parked at [url=https://maps.google.com/maps?q=del+taco+alondra+blvd,+bellflower,+ca&ll=33.887856,-118.106906&spn=0.00284,0.00269&sll=33.888881,-118.123187&sspn=0.144055,0.102528&client=safari&oe=UTF-8&fb=1&gl=us&fll=33.887402,-118.106512&fspn=0.002008,0.00269&t=h&z=19]Del Taco[/url] and walked along the highway, searching for mango trees.
I saw what appeared to be an avocado tree, plus another tree with the right shape of leaf, but no mango fruit nor mango flowers. But it seemed like the right place, based on the description, and there were several other fruit trees in that yard.
Puzzled, I returned to Taco Bell to eat lunch and think a bit. Afterward I drove into the neighborhood and parked in front of the suspect house. I waffled for several minutes, wondering if a knock on the door would result in some poor lady calling the police on me, but I plucked up my courage and went ahead to ring the bell.
A very nice older lady answered the door with her Yorkie under arm, and I said, "I'm very sorry to disturb you, Ma'am, but do you have a mango tree in your backyard?" I'm sure this is the first time anyone's ever knocked on her door to ask her that!
She said no, but that she had had one a few years ago. She had to take it out, because it got infested with worms. The blood drained from my face, and I felt like swooning. It was gone. "Did it make good mangos?" I asked timorously.
"They were very good," she said, "But after it got infested they were all full of worms."
I asked if she knew what variety they were, and she just said she thought it was some sort of Hawaiian variety. I gave her my condolences for her tree, thanked her for her time, and then slumped my shoulders and walked slowly away.
My quest was a failure.
Does anyone know of other mango trees that can be seen from the street in Los Angeles, without disturbing anyone's peace or getting arrested? I'm interested in the Indian cultivars, as the Ataulfo/Philippine varieties just don't do it for me.