Mango (Aam) Tree (Mangifera indica): Where It Grows in India and How to Plant It
Mangifera indica
Mango, aam (आम) in Hindi, is Mangifera indica, the evergreen fruit tree planted across India. How to plant a grafted mango tree and when, how to grow one from a seed (guthli), whether it can live in a pot, how to recognise it, care for the first three years and what to watch out for.
Overview
Mango, called aam (आम) in Hindi, is Mangifera indica, the large evergreen fruit tree of the cashew family (Anacardiaceae) that is planted across most of India for its fruit and deep shade. In English the tree is simply the mango tree; in Hindi it is आम का पेड़.
A grafted mango can give its first few fruits in its third or fourth year (NABARD), but it grows into a big tree with a dense, umbrella-shaped crown that needs open space, deep soil and a dry spell before flowering. This guide covers where it grows well, how to plant a grafted sapling or a seed (guthli), whether it can live in a pot, and what to watch out for.
Photo: "Mangifera indica 1z" by Anish nellickal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick facts
| Scientific name | Mangifera indica L. |
| Family | Anacardiaceae (cashew family) |
| Hindi name | आम (Aam, also written Am); आम का पेड़ (mango tree) |
| Also called | Mango, mango tree; Amb (Hindi, ICRAF); Amra (Sanskrit); Amba (Marathi), Mamidi (Telugu), Maavu (Kannada), Ma (Tamil) (Flowers of India) |
| Mature height | Up to about 20 m, with a dense umbrella-shaped crown (ICRAF) |
| Growth rate | Moderate (our estimate; not measured in our sources) |
| Water need | Moderate: regular water while young; deep, well-drained soil |
| Years to first fruit | Grafted plants about 3–4 years (NABARD); seedlings take longer and vary |
| Planting season | With the monsoon in most of India (NHB); months are a guide, see Planting calendar |
| Grows well in | The plains and plateaus of north, east, central and south India and both coasts; with care and assured irrigation in the north-west dry zone |
| Conservation status | Data Deficient (IUCN Red List global assessment, Ganesan 2021) |
Sources: Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via GBIF): Mangifera indica L., accepted name; native Assam, East Himalaya, Myanmar, Thailand, China South-Central; India (TDWG IND) listed as introduced; GBIF species API: IUCN Red List category for Mangifera indica (Data Deficient, iucnTaxonID 31389); IUCN Red List: Ganesan S.K. (2021). Mangifera indica. e.T31389A67735735 (Data Deficient; citation seen via secondary records, page not read); Orwa C. et al. (2009). Agroforestree Database 4.0: Mangifera indica. ICRAF; TNAU Agritech Portal, Horticulture: Mango (soil, planting season, spacing, pit, graft union, flower removal, irrigation, harvest, pests); NABARD model bank scheme: Mango Cultivation (hosted on TNAU Agritech banking portal; climate, soil, propagation, planting, shading, training, irrigation, bearing age); National Horticulture Board (NHB): Mango, Planting (spacing, pits, planting season by rainfall, planting method); Flowers of India: Mango (Indian-language names, leaves, flowers, lifespan)
This article was prepared with AI assistance and checked by the GreenEye team against the sources shown in each section.
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