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mango

Mangifera indica · Anacardiaceae

mango (Mangifera indica)
Photo: (c) Jagdish Supekar, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · via iNaturalist

mango (Mangifera indica) is a perennial tree in the Anacardiaceae family. It is introduced to North America rather than native. USDA records it as hardy in zone 8 and warmer, down to about 17°F.

At a glance

Typetree USDA
Lifecycleperennial USDA
Native statusintroduced USDA
Mature height65 ft USDA
Lightfull-sun USDA
Water needmedium USDA
Growth ratemoderate USDA
Soil pH4–7 USDA
BloomFebruary USDA
Flower colorYellow USDA
Hardiness zones8 and warmer USDA
Guild layercanopy Derived
Nursery availabilityRoutinely Available USDA

USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.

Growing conditions

It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It handles periodically wet ground (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance medium). It is recorded on soils from pH 4 to 7 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 8.

Size and growth

At maturity it reaches about 65 ft, making it a large tree that will dominate its site. It grows at a moderate rate.

Bloom period

USDA records a bloom period of February. Flowers are yellow.

A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.

Foliage, flower and season

Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is year round. Its winter foliage is dense, which makes it useful for year-round screening. USDA rates its lifespan as long.

What the site needs to provide

USDA records it across sites receiving 60 to 100 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 60 inches, too deep for containers or thin soil over bedrock. Fertility requirement: low — no feeding needed on ordinary garden soil.

Propagating it

Propagate it from seed and container stock. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a moderate rate. It spreads vegetatively at a slow rate.

Resilience and wildlife

Browsing animals find it moderately palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its fire tolerance is rated none, and it can resprout after damage. Its growth form is recorded as single stem.

Role in a guild

Canopy. In a layered planting this is the tallest layer of a planting — it sets the light budget everything beneath it lives on. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.

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Tags

evergreendrought-toleranthedgewet-tolerantclay-tolerantsandy-soilintroducedfull-suncanopy

Related plants

Similar role and hardiness

Where this data comes from

Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol MAIN3, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.

Read our full data sources and methodology.

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