When is the Musang King durian's ripening season?

The Musang King durian was initially called Kunyuk King Mao Sheng or Mao Sheng Wang; the mother tree grew on an island in the Kelantan River called Pulau Raya. In the 1970s, the mother tree was grafted and transplanted, and it was widely planted in Raub, Bentong, Karak, Sungai Ruan and other places in Pahang, with the Department of Agriculture registration number D197. Because the fame of Musang King was so great, the name Musang King came into being, taken from the homophone of “Mao Sheng Wang.” Locally, there are still names like Mao Wang or Mao Sheng Wang. So when does the Musang King durian ripen? And how is it different from ordinary durian?

When does the Musang King durian ripen

Musang King generally ripens for the first time from mid-to-late June to mid-August, and ripens a second time from mid-November to mid-January of the following year. Of course, depending on weather, production area and other factors, its ripening time may also be earlier or later.

Differences between Musang King and ordinary durian

1. Price

The flesh of Musang King generally costs 200-300 yuan/jin, while ordinary durian costs ten to twenty-plus yuan per jin, a price difference of as much as ten times.

2. Appearance

Musang King durian is relatively small, usually around 2.5 kg. The rind is mostly green. At the bottom of the fruit there is a clear “five-pointed star” mark, which is unique to Musang King durian. Of course, some top-grade Musang King may show a “six-pointed star” or not have this pattern; ordinary durian is larger than Musang King and also has no “five-pointed star” mark at the bottom. In addition, the rind of ripe top-grade Malaysian Musang King durian is generally blue-green, fruit from old trees is earthy brown, and common Thai durian turns golden yellow when ripe.

3. Growing difficulty

Ordinary durian is a purely tropical crop and can basically be grown in areas without frost, following the usual durian growing methods; authentic Musang King durian is produced only in Malaysia and has extremely strict climate requirements, requiring temperatures above 25 degrees year-round, and it is also more demanding than ordinary durian in terms of terrain, topography, rainfall and so on.

4. Production distribution

Ordinary durian is planted and produced in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia and other places; authentic Musang King is found only in Malaysia, and its output is relatively small.

Although the price of Musang King is much higher than ordinary durian, its rich, intense aroma and silky texture are also unmatched by ordinary durian.