Elwood Shexnayder with his Louisiana heirloom mirliton vine in St. Rose, Louisiana. Mr. Shexnayder has been growing on this site for 50 years and believes this is the same variety that his father grew. Since he saves seed from each previous year crop, this is evidence that the variety descended from decades of the same gene line.
Spring mirlitons on his vine May, 2012. Like a few growers, he did not cut back the vine in December to protect it from freeze. But since we did not have a freeze this year in the region, he's been getting mirlitons throughout the winter.
Notes on interview: uses 3-4 fertilizer spikes in the spring a few feet from base. No signs of disease no history of anthracnose to his recollection. Plant canopy shades base so no leaves on base. Waters heavily when canopy is growing. He's on very high, well-drained soil, a few blocks from the river and growing in alluvial soil. Citrus trees near plant base would absorb excess water.
He uses some concrete reinforcement wire for trellising, though the plant sprawls across fences, shrubs, and lower tree branches.
The following photographs are of the fruit picked the day of the visit and donated to Mirliton.Org. We named the variety after the person we first found growing it, so this is the "Elwood Shexnayder Mirliton Variety." Deion: obovoid to pyriform shape, deeply furrowed with rounded ridges, irregular skin ridging, no spines, medium green, prominent apical cleft. This fruit is 13.6 ounces
Info
23.4-ounce mirliton. Here you see the diverse fruit shapes on the same vine. This is more obovoid (egg shaped) in shape rather than pyriform (pear-shaped)
15.3 from top. Clearly obovoid shape. Like most Louisiana heirloom varieties, this mirliton has one widely spaced protrusion in the top of the fruit
Info
15.3-ounce mirliton. This is a little out of focus, but I like this end view that shows what I call the "1950 Packard Hood Look" (long and high).
Info
Variety of fruit. Weights vary from 13 to 22 ounces. Average for mature fruit (3-4 weeks of growth, table ready) is approximately 14 ounces. Size averages 6 inches long and four inches wide.
The following photographs are of the fruit picked the day of the visit and donated to Mirlitons.Org. We named the variety after the person we first found growing it, so this is the "Elwood Shexnayder Mirliton Variety." Deion: obovoid to pyriform shape, deeply furrowed with rounded ridges, irregular skin ridging, no spines, medium green, prominent apical cleft.
15.3-ounce mirliton. This is a little out of focus, but I like this end view that shows what I call the "1950 Packard Hood Look" (long and high).
Next photos are Shexnayder variety.
Weights vary from 13 to 22 ounces. Average for mature fruit (3-4 weeks of growth, table ready) is approximately 14 ounces. Size averages 6 inches long and four inches wide.
