The Tree of Mango

Mango is one of the most productive tropical plants. Mango contains protein, fat, carbohydrate, minerals, vitamins A, B, C, amino acids, resins, natural sugars, and citric tartaric and malic acids.

The mango tree is believed to have evolved as a canopy layer or emergent species of the tropical rainforest of South-east Asia.

The trunk of the tree is covered by a dark grey, cracked bark, when old. The young plant, to be sure, has a green outer skin called epidermis, like annual herbs.

Mature trees can attain a height of 40 m or more and can survive for several hundred years.

Mango trees that have been domesticated by selection from openly pollinated seedling populations show variation in tree architecture.

The tree is an arboresent evergreen. Leaves are simple and alternate, with petioles that range in length from 1 to 12.5 cm.

The petioles, besides placing the leaves in such position that they can get light, also save them from being torn when wind blows very strongly as they are springy.

Leaf morphology is highly variable, depending on the cultivar: leave can be lanceolate, oblong, ovate and intermediate types involving these forms.

Leaf length ranges from 12 to 38 cm and width can be between 2 -13 cm. Young leaves are copper colored, changing gradually to light and then dark green with age.

The leaves are spirally arranged in whorls and are produced in flushes. The canopy is normally oval, elongated or dome shaped.

The leaves of mango tree contain saponins, glycerine, sterols, polyphenols an benzoic acid and posses antibiotic properties.

Mango tree is able to keep its leaves on all the year round and thus can keep its root much cooler than a tree which has at times no leaves.

The juvenile period of seedling trees can range from 3 to 7 years. The root system consist of along, vigorous taproot and abundant surface feeder roots.
The Tree of Mango