Mango - plant profile

Names

Mango (English)
Mankay, mangai (Tamil)

Botanical name: Mangifera indica
Family: Anacardiaceae, the cashew and pistachio family

The plant

Mango trees can grow up to 40 m high and are topped with a rounded canopy of foliage. They may live for more than 100 years. In plantations they are usually grafted onto the roots of smaller trees so that they can't grow as tall. There are hundreds of mango cultivars distributed throughout the world, of which Asia and India have over 500 and perhaps even 1000.

Photograph of the flowers and leaves of the living mango.

Find out more

Image: A flowering mango tree growing in India.

Leaves - long and leathery. They have fibres which 'crackle' when they are crushed. They contain a chemical called mangiferin, or 'Indian Yellow' which was used as a dye.

Flowers - both male and female and are beautifully fragrant.

Fruits - the skin may be green, yellow, or red. The fruits have a small point, known as the beak. It is cultivated for its edible orange-coloured flesh. The seed within is large and flattened.

Wild ancestors of mangos originated in a region around northeast India and Bangladesh. Mangoes have spread throughout Asia and are now cultivated throughout the tropics.