- published: 15 Jul 2010
- views: 254604
The mango is a juicy stone fruit (drupe) belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees, cultivated mostly for edible fruit. The majority of these species are found in nature as wild mangoes. They all belong to the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to South Asia, from where it has been distributed worldwide to become one of the most cultivated fruits in the tropics. The center of diversity of the Mangifera genus is in India.
While other Mangifera species (e.g. horse mango, Mangifera foetida) are also grown on a more localized basis, Mangifera indica—the "common mango" or "Indian mango"—is the only mango tree commonly cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions.
It is the national fruit of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, and the national tree of Bangladesh.
Mango trees grow up to 35–40 m (115–131 ft) tall, with a crown radius of 10 m (33 ft). The trees are long-lived, as some specimens still fruit after 300 years. In deep soil, the taproot descends to a depth of 6 m (20 ft), with profuse, wide-spreading feeder roots; the tree also sends down many anchor roots, which penetrate several feet of soil. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, 15–35 cm (5.9–13.8 in) long, and 6–16 cm (2.4–6.3 in) broad; when the leaves are young they are orange-pink, rapidly changing to a dark, glossy red, then dark green as they mature. The flowers are produced in terminal panicles 10–40 cm (3.9–15.7 in) long; each flower is small and white with five petals 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long, with a mild, sweet odor suggestive of lily of the valley. Over 400 varieties of mangoes are known, many of which ripen in summer, while some give double crop. The fruit takes three to six months to ripen.
Mangoes, papaya, chestnuts from the fire
In my house of straw I have so much more
Pie from the peach and I fix in the kitchen
Each bite is just right for your appetite
Now if you like-a the way I cook
And if you like-a the way I look
Then step inside my shady nook
And you'll find mangoes and papayas, anything your heart desires
Mangoes, papaya, chestnuts from the fire
The food is so good, you will want to stay
Eat up and drink up and maybe you'll think up
The day when we say preacher man okay
Now if you like-a the way I cook
And if you like-a the way I look
Then step inside my shady nook
And you'll find mangoes and papayas, anything your heart desires
Mangoes, papaya, chestnuts from the fire
The food is so good, you will want to stay
Eat up and drink up and maybe you'll think up
The day when we say preacher man okay