Mangu Karot – The Legendary Zamal of Réunion Island

On the island of Réunion, zamal (from Malagasy jamala or zamala) is both the general word for cannabis and the name of a family of pure tropical sativa landraces that adapted over centuries to the island’s humid volcanic environment. These genetics arrived in successive waves of African, Malagasy, Indian and other Indian Ocean populations from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Among the different local “kalités” (qualities/types), Mangu’ Karot (mango-carrot) is the most celebrated. Its name comes from a striking, unique terpene profile that truly evokes ripe mango mixed with fresh carrot — sometimes planted near mango trees, reinforcing the association. Other famous kalités include Fil Rouge (red pistils, from Salazie/Mafate), or Kalité Tisane, often also called Kalité 1 taffe. Various peppery or earthy expressions and more recent hybrids exist, but pure mango-carrot remains iconic.

Zamal plants are true equatorial sativas: very tall, long-flowering (often 14 to 18+ weeks), with fine leaflets and elongated, resinous flowers. The effect is typically energetic, clear and stimulating. Because the island climate allows almost continuous growth, local growers historically treated these plants as multi-year companions. Outside Réunion, the long flowering and stretch make them demanding, which is why French Touch Seeds, thanks to the magnificent work of the Breeder Bourbon collective, can offer stabilized regular seed versions so the genetics can travel and be preserved. Mangu Karot is not just another sativa — it is one of the few remaining pure expressions of French overseas landrace cannabis, carrying the complex cultural and botanical history of the Indian Ocean.