Photo: Ivar Leidus / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Mango Tree (Mangifera indica): The king of fruits — the mango tree offers delicious fruit plus medicinal bark, leaves, and seeds.
🔍 Quick Facts
| Common name | Mango Tree |
| Other names | Aam (Hindi); Maamaram (Tamil); Mamidi (Telugu); Amra (Sanskrit) |
| Scientific name | Mangifera indica |
| Plant family | Anacardiaceae (cashew family) |
| Size | 10–30 m evergreen tree |
| Native region | South Asia |
| Climate | Tropical/Sub-tropical |
| Ease of growing | Moderate |
| Parts used | Fruit, Leaves, Bark, Seed kernel |
About Mango Tree
India grows more than 1,000 mango varieties and produces about half of the world's mangoes. Alphonso, Kesar, Dasheri, Langra, Banganapalli and Himsagar each have their own region and season. Mango leaves are hung as toran over doorways at festivals, and the bark, leaves and seed kernel all have traditional medicinal uses.
Botanically known as Mangifera indica, it belongs to the Anacardiaceae family. It is native to South Asia and grows best in a tropical/sub-tropical climate. The parts most often used are the fruit, leaves, bark and seed kernel.
Traditional & Ayurvedic Uses
Mango Tree is best known for:
- Vitamin C & A source
- Digestion
- Skin care
- Immunity
- Antioxidant
Most of these uses come from Ayurveda and folk medicine. Where we know of good clinical evidence, or of a specific safety concern, we say so in the overview, precautions and FAQs on this page.
How Mango Is Used
- Ripe fruit is eaten fresh, as aamras, or in lassi.
- Raw mango is used in aam panna, pickles and chutneys.
- Dried seed kernel powder and tender leaves are used in traditional remedies.
How to Grow Mango Tree
| ☀️ Sunlight | Full sun. |
| 💧 Watering | Regular watering for young trees; hold back water from October to flowering to encourage blossoms. |
| 🪴 Soil | Deep, well-drained loam; avoid waterlogged sites. |
| 🌱 Propagation | Grafted plants (veneer or softwood grafting) to stay true to variety. |
| 📅 When to plant (India) | Plant July–August. Flowering January–March; fruit April–July. |
| 🏡 In pots / at home | Dwarf hybrids such as Amrapali can fruit in a 24-inch container. |
Precautions & Safety
- Mango sap and peel contain urushiol and can cause rashes around the mouth.
- Ripe mango is high in sugar — diabetics should watch portion size.
- Avoid fruit artificially ripened with calcium carbide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Further Reading on Mango Tree
Written by the WhyOnPlanet editorial team · Last updated October 2026