Mango Plant and Fruit: Structure, Classification, and Key Features

Welcome to the sweet and sunny world of the mango plant and its fruit! Did you know the mango is called the “king of fruits” in India and even has its own scientific name? Let’s set off on a botanical adventure to learn why this tropical tree is loved by kids and scientists alike. If you need help with plant parts or how plants grow, Vedantu is always here for you!

Meet Mango: India’s Tropical Superstar

Scientific Name, Family & Where Mango Thrives

The mango plant goes by the name “Mangifera indica”. It belongs to the plant family Anacardiaceae, a group that also includes cashews and pistachios. Mango trees love warm, sunny places—you will find them growing in India, Southeast Asia, Africa, and even tropical parts of South America. People have been enjoying juicy mangoes for over 4,000 years!

Home Sweet Home: What Mango Trees Need

Mango trees like sandy or loamy soil, lots of sunlight, and water—especially when they’re young. Once grown up, they can live for more than 100 years, providing shade, flowers, and delicious fruit season after season.

Explore Every Part: Mango Tree from Roots to Fruit

Underground Superheroes: Roots

The mango tree has a strong tap root system that grows deep into the ground. These roots drink up water and help anchor the tall tree so it stands strong—even in storms!

The Trunk & Branches: Mango’s Mighty Body

The trunk of the mango tree is thick and woody. Branches spread out wide and are covered in a brown, rough bark. They hold up all the green leaves and, later, lots of heavy fruits!

Leaves: Shiny, Bright, and Reddish When Young

Fresh mango leaves are soft and usually reddish when they first appear. As they grow older, they turn dark green, leathery, and super glossy. Their shape is lanceolate (like a long spear), and you can see a net-like pattern of veins—called reticulate venation. If you like drawing, practice a mango leaf—it’s always in the exams!

Flower Fun

Mango trees bloom with tiny, yellowish-white flowers grouped together in big clusters called panicles. Most flowers are bisexual (having both male and female parts), but some are male only.

Fruit: The Famous Mango Drupe!

The mango fruit is a special kind of fruit called a drupe. That means it has three layers: a thin skin (exocarp), juicy flesh (mesocarp), and a single big stone (endocarp) with the seed inside. After the flowers are pollinated, they grow into these sweet, colorful fruits.

How Does a Mango Tree Live and Grow?

Making Food: The Magic of Photosynthesis

The shiny leaves of the mango plant catch sunlight and use it to make food—a process called photosynthesis. The leaves soak up carbon dioxide and sunlight, mix them with water, and give the tree all the energy it needs to grow big and bear fruit.

Reproduction: Mango Babies Start with Flowers

When the tree is old enough, it makes tiny flowers in spring. Bees and insects help carry pollen so that fruits can form. The fruit grows bigger over months until it’s ready to pick and eat—yum!

Survival Tricks

• Thick leaves save water in hot weather


• Deep roots find water far underground


• Tough bark keeps bugs and sunburn away

Why Are Mango Plants So Popular?

Mango: Tasty Food, Useful Medicine, and Much More!

• Sweet ripe mangoes are a favorite summer fruit in India and many countries


• Green mangoes are pickled, juiced, or even made into tangy candies


• Mango leaves are used in some medicines and in festivals for decoration


• The wood can be used for furniture, though it’s not as strong as teak


• Mangoes are important for farmers and earn billions in exports

In India, the mango is the national fruit and is a symbol of love and good luck!

Mango vs. Jackfruit – Can You Tell Them Apart?

Mangoes and jackfruits are both tropical tree fruits, but let’s see how they’re different:

Feature	Mango	Jackfruit
Family	Anacardiaceae	Moraceae
Fruit Type	Drupe (single seed)	Multiple (many seeds)
Leaf Type	Simple, alternate, lanceolate	Simple, sometimes lobed
Edible Part	Pulp (mesocarp)	Fleshy perianth & bracts

So remember: mango is a drupe with one big seed, but jackfruit has many small seeds and is much bigger!

Speedy Mango Facts Table

Feature	What It Means	Fun to Know
Scientific Name	Mangifera indica	Belongs to Anacardiaceae family
Fruit Type	Drupe (fleshy, one seed, stony pit)	Coconut is also a drupe!
Leaves	Simple, leathery, lance-shaped	Red when young, green when grown
Edible Parts	Mesocarp (the yummy yellow pulp)	Used in juice, ice cream, pickles
Habitat	Warm, tropical climates	Loves lots of summer sun!

Let’s Try a Fun Example: What Kind of Fruit is a Mango?

Quick Q&A

Q: Is mango a berry or a drupe? Why?
A: A mango is a drupe. That’s because it has three layers—a thin outer skin, soft juicy flesh, and a hard, stony pit in the center with one seed inside. This is different from a berry, which has soft flesh all the way through and usually more than one seed.

Test Your Mango Power! (Kid Practice)

• What is the mango plant’s scientific name?


• How can you tell mango fruit apart from a jackfruit?


• What do the leaves of a mango tree look like? (Draw or describe!)


• Why is a mango called a drupe?

Common Mango Mix-Ups

• Don’t call a mango a berry—it is a drupe!


• Remember: The edible part is the fleshy pulp, not the seed inside.


• Jackfruit looks similar but has many seeds and comes from a different plant family.

If you get stuck, you can always check charts or labels in your NCERT books or ask Vedantu’s teachers!

Mango Wrap-Up – Key Things to Remember

The mango plant (Mangifera indica) is a famous tree of the Anacardiaceae family. Its fruit is a drupe—fleshy and delicious. Mango trees give food, medicine, wood, and lots of joy. Draw their leaves and fruits for practice, and learn their differences from plants like jackfruit. Mango questions are super important for exams, so remembering these simple facts will win you extra marks! Check out other plant pages on Vedantu, like plant stems or flowering plants, for even more fun learning.