Mangifera


Mangifera is a genus of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae. It contains 64 species, with the best-known being the common mango. The center of diversity of the genus is in the Malesian ecoregion of Southeast Asia, particularly in Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula. They are generally canopy trees in lowland rainforests, reaching a height of.

Uses

Mangifera species are widely cultivated in Asia and elsewhere. More than 27 species in the genus bear edible, fleshy fruits, especially the common mango. Others, such as M. foetida, yield astringent fruits that can be eaten pickled. Mango residue, such as the seed kernel and peel, have functional and nutritional potential.

Fossil record

The earliest fossil species thought to be related to Mangifera is Eomangiferophyllum damalgiriense from the upper Paleocene in northeastern India. Leaves have also been reported from the Paleocene of Japan and the Eocene of Germany, though these have been considered questionable. Leaf fossils confidently assignable to Mangifera have been collected from Oligocene or early Miocene sediments in northern Thailand.

Taxonomy

Subgenera

  • Subgenus Mangifera
  • *Section Marchandora Pierre
  • *Section Euantherae Pierre
  • *Section Rawa Kosterm.
  • *Section Mangifera Kosterm.
  • Subgenus Limus Kosterm.

Species

These species are accepted:

Formerly placed here