Mangifera indica, commonly known as mango, is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is a large fruit tree, capable of growing to a height of 30 metres (100 feet). There are two distinct genetic populations in modern mangoes – the "Indian type" and the "Southeast Asian type".
Classifications and Characteristics
Plant Division
Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form
Tree (Big (>30m))
Lifespan (in Singapore)
Perennial
Mode of Nutrition
Autotrophic
Plant Shape
Broad / Mushroom / Hemispherical
Maximum Height
30 m to 35 m
Maximum Plant Spread / Crown Width
10 m
Biogeography
Native Distribution
India, Indochina
Preferred Climate Zone
Tropical, Sub-Tropical / Monsoonal
Description and Ethnobotany
Growth Form
A medium to large sized tree with a dense, rounded crown with rather distinctive drooping elliptic to lanceolate leaves.
Foliage
The leaves are simple, deep green, up to 30cm long and 7 cm wide, oblong-elliptic to lanceolate in shape, with entire and slightly undulate margins.
Flowers
Individual flowers are tiny, yellow to pinkish white, but borne on large, showy panicles with red peduncles, and are considered fragrant.
Fruit
The most famous part of this tree, the fruit is a large drupe, up to 20cm long, ovoid-oblong in shape, with green, yellow or red skin often slightly glaucous.
Cultivation
Requires full sun, rich, well-drained soil, and moderate watering. Requires fertilizing with high potassium and phosphate fertilizers if good fruiting is desired. Propagation is by seeds, grafting or budding.
Ethnobotanical Uses
Edible Plant Parts : Edible Fruits Medicinal: The fruit rind(peel) is consider as tonic. The leaves produce a cooling effect and are used to treated fever and colds. The charred leaves are applied to warts to remove them. The bark increase the flow of urine and is also used to stop bleeding. The seeds are used to treat colds, coughs, diarrhoea and excessive bleeding during menstruation. The resin is used for skin diseases and to treat syphilis.
Edible Plant Parts : Edible Fruits Medicinal: The fruit rind(peel) is consider as tonic. The leaves produce a cooling effect and are used to treated fever and colds. The charred leaves are applied to warts to remove them. The bark increase the flow of urine and is also used to stop bleeding. The seeds are used to treat colds, coughs, diarrhoea and excessive bleeding during menstruation. The resin is used for skin diseases and to treat syphilis.