Mango

 

Characteristics

Size/weight:  The average mango weight is around 0.2kg and it is usually 9cm long and 5cm wide.

Colour or patterns:  When a mango tree is juvenile the colour of its leaves are usually green with some yellow. An adult mango tree’s leaves are dark green in colour with yellow stems and they feel like leather. Their trunks and roots are different shades of brown when they are both juvenile and adult.

An unripe mango is green (depending on the type they are different shades of green and can also be red) and a ripe mango is usually a yellowy, orange or red colour.

 

Predators

A very eclectic range of animals eat the fruit, mango. The most common are fruit bats, birds and humans in Australia; also raccoons and elephants in other parts of the world.

 

Distribution and Abundance

In Australia they are found in Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia.

 

Habitat

Mangoes are usually grown in the tropical lowlands because the mango trees like warm weather and good rainfall. Only adult mango trees can withstand cold temperatures (but not below 25 degrees Celsius) but juvenile mangos can’t. Mangoes can’t grow in really cold temperatures because the climate kills the blossoming flowers and young fruit.

 

Impact

Mangoes were introduced into Australia in the 1800s by boat from India and Malaysia by Portuguese and Indian people. 

 

Major threats to mangoes include mango sudden decline syndrome, mango fruit borer, blue striped nettle grub, red banded mango caterpillar, mango gall midges, mango malformation disease, mango pulp weevil and oriental fruit fly. 

 

Mangoes also cause allergies from the sap and the fruit.

 

Management

The bigger branches get cut off to control the width and height of the tree.