India, May 3 -- There is an unusual kind of orchard in Bhalchhel village, about 3 km from the town of Sasan Gir.

Beside the Hiran River, amid bee-eaters and sunbirds, rows of trees hold a confounding array of mangoes. On one, kesari aams gleam in the sunlight; on another, golden Alphonsos hang heavy. There's a banana-shaped mango here, an apple-shaped one there. Some taste like pineapples, some like lemons.

Samsudin Jariya and his family call it the mango museum.

A total of 300 varieties of the fruit grow on their 12-acre plot. There are mangoes from Japan and Thailand, as well as from across India. One of the newest additions is a Kohitur tree, known to bear a fruit so delicate and delicious that it was said the Nawab of Bengal once b...