Synonyms

Mangifera amba Forsk.

Mangifera anisodora Blanco

Systematic Position

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Angiosperms

Order: Sapindales

Family: Anacardiaceae

Native: South Asia

Common Names

English – Mango tree

Malayalam – Maavu

Description: Mangifera indica, commonly known as the mango tree, is a large evergreen  tropical fruit tree that can grow up to 30 meters tall, with a dense, rounded canopy of foliage. The leaves are shiny, dark green, and leathery, and the flowers are small and creamy-white in color.Mango fruit is one of the most popular delicious as well as nutritious tropical fruits globally. It is a drupe, with a single large seed surrounded by juicy, sweet-tasting flesh. Mangoes come in various shapes, sizes, and colors depending on the variety, ranging from green to yellow, orange, and red when ripe.

Habitat: Evergreen and semi-evergreen forests and also widely cultivated.

Distribution: Indo-Malesia

Uses:  Mangifera indica is a versatile plant with various uses. Some varieties have sweeter taste also eaten when unripe. Unripe fruits are used to prepare pickles, unripe mango-chutney with pudina is common recipe. Mishing and other tribe prepare curry with sliced unripe mango and fishes. The wood is also valuable. Villagers use to predict monsoon by observing the flowering pattern of mango plant.