Accession Count: 1
Common Name:
mango
Family Name:
Anacardiaceae
Botanical Name:
Mangifera indica
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
Mangos usually are tall trees growing about 5-21 meters. However, in cultivation, they only grow to about 3-10 meters tall. The plant's bark is gray to brown and smooth but becomes scaly as it ages. The leaves of the plants are simple and alternate. Leaves emerge a green color and turn a tan-brown color as they age returning again to a dark green color at maturity (1). Leaves emerge in clusters of 10-20. In the late winter to early spring, showy blooms emerge on the mango tree (1). The flowers are formed on terminal inflorescences. The blooms are pale green to pink or red and each inflorescence bears hundreds of flowers. The species is monoecious. As such, on the same plant, there are both male (staminate) and female (pistillate) flowers. Following successful pollination, the flowers develop into a mango fruit. Each fruit is oval - kidney-shaped drupe (1). They turn from green to a mix of green, yellow, orange, or red when ripe (1).
Compound:
Man ind
Geographic Origin:
India
Ecozone Origin:
Indomalaya
Biome Origin:
Natural History:
Mangos have a long and interesting history. They originated in southeast Asia and India. There have been references in Hindu writing dating back to 4000 BC. The mango was known to be cultivated by the Buddhist monks anciently (3) In written records, the first country to make use of the mango fruit appears to be India (5) The mango is considered sacred throughout India because it is said the Buddha himself meditated under a mango tree (3). The name mango is derived from the Malayan “manna” which was then adapted by the 15thcentury Portuguese spice traders as “mango”. The tree did not get introduced to the western hemisphere until the 1700s with the first planting occurring in Brazil (4). In modern times, the mango fruit is highly used and cultivated. India is the leader in production of the mango. However, they are cultivated in over 87 different countries (5)
Cultivation Notes:
Mangos are plants that grow in very tropical locations (6). They require a high amount of humidity to grow. In areas such as the Sonoran Desert, they are not able to grow except in controlled environments. They are relatively sensitive to low air temperatures. The mature trees can survive down to 4 degrees Celsius and juvenile trees can survive down to -1 degree Celsius. Mangos can be propagated easily by seed and stem cuttings. Mango plants like well-draining soils but are adapted to periodic flooding or other adverse conditions. Mangos have many diseases that come with them, but if they are caught early, they will not cause any significant problems (6).
Ethnobotany:
The mango is highly cultivated for its delicious and nutritious fruit. Along with the mango plant being an excellent food source and having a delicious taste, it has many other useful qualities. A few of these include: treatment of diabetes, use as an antiviral, treatment of stomach issues, or use as an antibacterial, or as an anti-inflammatory medicine (7).
Height:
50 - 100 feet
Width:
20 - 50 feet
Growth Rate:
Fast Growing
Grow Season:
ForeSummer
Flower Season:
Spring
Color:
White
Function:
Spread:
Spreading
Allergen:
Allergenic
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Benign
Hardy:
Semi-hardy
Water Use:
High Water Use
