My Mango Tree
The Mangifera indica, commonly known as
mango, is a species of flowering plant in the
sumac and poison ivy family Anacardiaceae
and is native to the Indian subcontinent.
Mango is a tropical fruit usually grown in India
and Southeast Asia. There are about 1500
varieties of mangoes grown in India alone.
Each main variety has a different and unique
taste and flavour.
Mango trees prefer tropical and subtropical
climates with humid, hot summers and cool,
dry, frost-free winters. They also thrive in
places where both rainy and dry seasons are
clearly present. Deep rich soils give the best
production and fruit quality. The root system of
a mango tree is a taproot system.
They have long, glossy, leathery and dark green
colored leaves. The flowers of this tree are in
clusters of 4-16 inches long, but less than one
percent of the flowers will mature to form a
fruit. Each flower is small with white petals and
a mild sweet aroma. These trees are classified
as evergreen often reaching 15-18 metres (50-
60 feet). The mango, known as King of Fruits,
has been an important part of Indian life.
Mango seeds usually take around five to eight
years to produce fruit. The trees are long-lived,
as some specimens still fruit after 300 years.
Mangoes first appeared in India over 5000
years ago. Mangoes are the national fruit of
India and are related to cashews and
pistachios.
In southern India, mango leaves are widely
used for cleaning teeth. It has been an
important herb in Ayurvedic and indegenous
medical systems for over 4000 years. The
extract of mango leaves have been used to cure
asthma and diabetes and can also be beneficial
in controlling the blood sugar level. We can eat
a mango on its own and make it in to juices,
jams, nectars, dried fruits etc.
This tree has many useful products and is
beneficial to our health as mentioned above.
They also provide food and shelter not only to
humans but also to wildlife. If we conserve
them, it will be better for us.
