Carol Cloud Bailey
Family
Anacardiaceae
Botanical Name
Mangifera indica
Plant Common Name
Mango
General Description
Mango trees are long-lived, large and bear the queen of tropical fruits. They are evergreen and native to tropical Asia, particularly the area from eastern India to Myanmar, and produce luscious sweet mangoes when mature.
This fruit has been cultivated for centuries. It is said that Buddhist monks brought the fruit to Malaya and eastern Asia sometime during the third or fourth centuries. The trees spread throughout the subtropical and tropical regions of the world as global exploration expanded. In the 1500’s they arrived in Africa and Brazil and eventually were brought up to Mexico and the West Indies. In the United States they were first brought to Florida in the 1830s and California in the 1880s.
Hundreds of hybrid cultivars have been developed as a result of intensive selection and breeding programs. Today, mangos are grown in most frost-free locations globally. India grows the largest crop, and worldwide commercial production exceeds twenty five million tons.
The large trees have a rounded dense crown. The alternating leaves are crowded at the ends of the twigs and branches. They are lance-shaped, long and tend to droop. New growth arises at different times in the year and is usually red or bronze hued. Mature leaves are dark green and glossy.
Small fragrant flowers are produced by the 100s even 1000s in large branched panicles. The flowers are either male, female or both, and most in the panicle are strictly male and not fruit-producing. Only a few of the flowers have the female reproductive structures required for fruit. Most varieties are self-fertile, though the flowers draw many insect pollinators. Flowering is dependent on variety and weather, but most bloom during the dry season.
Mango fruit are extremely variable from variety to variety. They can have irregular kidney, rounded, oval, or oblong shapes. The skin is thick, leathery and infused with sap that can be a dermal irritant. When ripe the skin can turn green or yellow with a pink, red, purple or bronze blush. The peach-colored flesh is fibrous with a sweet flavor and fragrance, though some fruits can be astringent. The size of each mango is dependent on variety and may be a few ounces to several pounds. Fruits take four to five months to ripen after flowering.
The trees need full sun and plenty of room to grow. They prefer locations with warm dry winters and moist hot summers and are tolerant of almost any soil as long as it has good drainage. Though moderately drought tolerant once established, mangoes must have regular water and fertilization for good fruit production.
Seedling trees are readily grown from ripe seeds but take years to be fruit-bearing. There are a multitude of varieties available. Most are grafted on to rootstocks, which can impart tolerances to different soils, pests, climactic conditions as well as size constraints. Plant mangoes for their fabulous fruit and dense shade the large trees produce.
