Mangifera indica - Mango Tree

Mangifera indica, the Mango tree, is a fruit tree native to India, with a short trunk but a dense and rounded canopy, of a very graceful appearance. It develops beautiful evergreen and aromatic foliage. Its fruit, the mango, is known and appreciated for its taste qualities and its vitamin richness. It can be grown in a pot for its ornamental qualities without expecting flowering or fruiting. It appreciates a rich, well-drained substrate and a warm and humid exposure. It is ideally cultivated in a greenhouse or a conservatory, with possibly an outdoor passage during the summer.

The Mangifera indica belongs to the family of Anacardiaceae. It is native to eastern India and Burma, where it has been cultivated for over 4,000 years. This tree was introduced to Africa in the 16th century by the Arabs and Brazil by the Portuguese. It is widely cultivated in all tropical countries, especially in Africa, Reunion Island and Mauritius, the Seychelles, the West Indies and Brazil. The Mango tree is a large tree that can reach a height of 10 to 25 metres, with a crown diameter of 20 metres, in its natural environment. Its bark is smooth, of a dark grey-brown to black colour. Its evergreen leaves, alternate and entire, oblong and pointed in shape, measure from 15 to 35 cm long and 6 to 16 cm wide. When crushed, these leaves give off a turpentine smell, and their colour palette evolves from orange-pink to dark green, passing through a shiny dark red as they grow. It is a monoecious plant that produces both male and hermaphrodite flowers. They can be pollinated by wind or bees, although the tree is generally self-fertile. The flowers, whitish-red in colour, are small and gather in terminal clusters. Each flower has five petals, sepals and stamens, surrounding a superior ovary with a single ovule. Fruiting occurs three to four months after flowering in spring, giving rise to oblong drupes attached by a long peduncle, with notable size variability depending on the varieties. The fruit skin is smooth and resistant, matures in shades of green, yellow, or scarlet, and is adorned with various marks. The stone, of considerable size and flattened, contains a single seed surrounded by more or less present fibres depending on the varieties. The flesh of the fruit, varying in texture and flavour depending on the varieties, offers a rich, creamy and juicy taste experience.

To grow a mango tree at home, plant it in a pot sheltered from the cold, ideally in a conservatory, temperate greenhouse, or even in an apartment. As an indoor plant, it reaches about 1.5 m in height, with an upright and then spreading habit. The mango tree likes full light without direct sunlight in a sandy and well-drained substrate, remaining fresh. It is a magnificent indoor plant, thanks to its new leaves, whose bronze pink colour turns to dark red before turning green, which is astonishing. The optimal cultivation temperature for the mango tree is between 21°C and 26°C. It cannot withstand temperatures below -1°C. In summer, the temperatures of our interiors are perfectly suitable for it, and in winter, a very bright room at 15°C satisfies it. In summer, you can move it to the garden, in partial shade, in a well-sheltered position. Its winter flowering is rare indoors, and it does not count on fruiting.