The mango is a tropical fruit of the mango tree. Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera which consists of about 30 species of tropical fruiting trees in the following plant family Anacardiaceae. The exact orgins of the mango are unknown, but most believe that it is native to Southern and Southeast Asia including the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Burman, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and bangladesh. Mango trees are large, reaching 35-40m in height, with a crown radius of 10m. The leaves are evergreen alternate, simple, 15-35cm long and 6-16 cm broad; when the fruit are young they are orange pink, rapidly changing to a dark red glossy red, then dark green as they mature. The flowers are produced in terminal panicles 10-40 cm long; each flower is small and white with five petals 5-10 mm long, with a mild sweet odor. After the flowers finish, the fruit takes from 3 to 6 months to open.
The fruit flesh of a ripe mango contains about 15% sugar, up to 1% protein and significant amounts of vitamins A,B,and C. The taste of the fruit is sweet.
