Mango

:This article is about the fruit. For other meanings of the word, please see Mango (disambiguation).

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Mangifera altissima

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Mangifera caesia

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Mangifera camptosperma

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Mangifera casturi

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Mangifera foetida

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Mangifera indica

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Mangifera kemanga

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Mangifera longipes

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Mangifera macrocarpa

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Mangifera odorata

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Mangifera pajang

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Mangifera pentandra

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Mangifera persiciformis

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Mangifera siamensis

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The mango (Mangifera spp.; plural mangos or mangoes) is a genus of about 35 species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae, native to India and Indo-China, of which the Indian Mango M. indica is by far the most important commercially. Reference to mangos as the "food of the gods" can be found in the Hindu Vedas. The name of the fruit comes from the Tamil word man-kay, which was corrupted to manga by the Portuguese when they explored western India.

Related Topics:
Tree - Flowering plant - Anacardiaceae - India - Indo-China - Hindu - Tamil - Portuguese

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Mangos are large trees, reaching 35-40 m in height, with a crown radius of 10 m. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, 15-35 cm long and 6-16 cm broad; when young they are orange-pink, rapidly changing to a dark glossy red, then dark green as they mature. The flowers are produced in terminal panicles 10-40 cm long; each flower is small and white with five petals 5-10 mm long, with a mild sweet odour suggestive of lily of the valley. After the flowers finish, the fruit takes from three to six months to ripen.

Related Topics:
Leaves - Evergreen - Flower - Panicle - Lily of the valley

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The mango fruit is a drupe; when mature, it hangs from the tree on long stems. They are variable in size, from 10-25 cm long and 7-12 cm diameter, and may weigh up to 2.5 kg. The ripe fruit is variably coloured yellow, orange and red, reddest on the side facing the sun and yellow where shaded; any green is an indication the fruit is not yet ripe. When ripe, the unpeeled fruit gives off a distinctive resinous slightly sweet smell. In the center of the fruit is a single flat, oblong stone that can be fibrous or hairless on the surface, depending on cultivar. Inside the shell, which is 1-2 mm thick, is a paper-thin lining covering a single seed, 4-7 cm long, 3-4 cm wide, 1 cm thick.

Related Topics:
Fruit - Drupe - Resin - Fibrous - Cultivar - Seed

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