Mango
Family Anacardiaceae
Mangifera indica, the mango (M. indica 1), is an erect branched evergreen tree, up to 40 m high, with a top of dense foliage (M. indica 2). Young leaves are reddish in colour, hanging down in small clusters; full-grown leaves dark green, spirally arranged, elliptic or lanceolate. The hanging inflorescence is a widely branched terminal panicle, up to 60 cm long (M. indica 3), bearing numerous flowers which are partly male and partly bisexual. Flowers with 5 petals and 5 sepals, male ones with 5 stamens, bisexual ones with 5 stamens and a sessile 1-celled superior ovary. The fruit is a fleshy drupe, variable in size (8-30 cm), shape (M. indica 4), (M. indica 5) and colour, being green (M. indica 6), yellow (M. indica 7) or reddish (M. indica 8). The outer skin or exocarp is fairly thick, dotted with glands. The edible mesocarp or flesh varies in colour and structure from sweet and juicy to fibrous and turpentine flavoured. The endocarp is thick and woody, containing a flattened seed.
Distribution
The mango grows wild in India and is mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts. The Mogul emperor Akbar planted an orchard of 100.000 trees in the late 16th century. The mango still holds an important place in Hindu culture. It was taken to Malaysia in the 4th or 5th century BC and to East Africa in the 10th century AD. The Portuguese took the mango to West Africa and the New World, where it reached Brazil in the 18th century. It came to the West Indies about 1740, and finally it reached Florida (M. indica 9) in 1861.
Use
The mango is one of the most widely distributed fruits of the tropics. Ripe fruits are eaten raw and are used in the manufacture of juice, jams and preserves. The flesh is also canned. Unripe fruits are used in chutneys and pickles. Dried and ground into a powder it is used in soups etc.
By far the most important producing country is India. Other important producing countries include Brazil, Pakistan, Mexico, Indonesia, Philippines, China and East African countries. India also exports large amounts of mango products like pickles and chutneys.