Mangifera indica

photo credit: Forest and Kim Starr

Best practices for survivability and field observations

Several noted as a good, coastal, dense shade tree, and that it competes well with other species. Another noted that mango trees can thrive at 2000 ft. elevation, however few bare fruit (maximizing fruit production requires limiting exposure to wind and pests). One respondent said that it makes a lot of leaf litter (which could be a fuel issue).

Stressors and pests

Susceptible to fruit fly infestation and a fungal disease in moist areas (anthracnose) causing the fruit to fall, while another reported that it is not very tolerant to wind. Mixed reports on palatability; one respondent that most animals won’t eat it (since it is in the poison ivy family) while another said that deer and/or goats will eat seedlings and rub larger trees.

Availability and propagation

Generally, they’re available as grafts from nurseries (the recommended method for desirable cultivars), and that they are slow to propagate and grow, even from grafting.  Another recommended grafting onto pest resistant rootstock. Several said that it is easy to grow from seed, while another noted that seedlings from the forest can be transplanted. Others noted that although it grows easily from seed, they might not produce the desired fruit, as seeds don’t always mimic parent (cuttings/air layer is best).

Survey Results

For information about the survey, refer to our article: on Coastal Plants for Creating Green Breaks