Mango, Mangifera indica
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| Mango, Mangifera indica. Growing Along Roadway, Chiapas, Mexico. |
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| Mango Fruit On Tree Along Roadway. |
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| Mango Tree Farm, Chiapas MX. Mountains Of Guatemala In Far Background |
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| Stony Endocarp (Pit) Surrounding The Seed | Mango Seed |
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| Mango Flowers | Mango Flowers |
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| Mango Fruit On Tree | Mango Fruit On Stand |
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| Mango Fruit On Tree In Belize | Mango Fruit On Tree In Belize |
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| Mango, Fresh Sliced | Photo: Mangos From Mexico Packer and Exporter Association |
Mango Mango is a large, long-lived tree with a broad, rounded canopy. In the wild they grow to about 20 - 100 feet tall. Mango in cultivated orchards are kept at 20 - 30 feet. Most orchards that we observed in Chiapas, Mexico and in Guatemala were about 25 feet tall. There are two classes of Mango: Indochinese and Indian. The Indochinese group has flattened, kidney-shaped, somewhat elongated fruit with light green or yellow skin, and little or no red blush color. In contrast, the Indian Mango are more rounded and plump, and have a bright red blush to the skin. The kind we usually see in the US stores are hybrids of the Indian Mango. They are grown comercially in Florida as well as the other tropical countries of the world. The mango is known as the "apple of the tropics", and is as important there as are apples in the temperate zone. It is common to see mango trees in kitchen gardens, in pastures, or as street trees in the tropics since they are delicious and a good source of vitamins. The fruit is a drupe with an outer leathery skin (exocarp), a fleshy mesocarp and a hard, stony endocarp (pit) surrounding the seed. Good-quality mangoes will yield slightly to gentle pressure when ripe. The coloring will be deep red and/or rich yellow with only a blush of green at the most. (Very green mangoes are used in certain dishes) Medium to large mangoes are generally best. A ripe mango will smell fairly fruity on the stem end as long as it is not cold. We are showing this plant on our web page since it is grown by some gardeners in Arizona.
Height: 20 - 100 with slightly less spread. |