The Mango tree is native to Burma and NE India and lives for more than a century. This tree is believed to have been planted as a fruit tree in India as far back as 2000 BC. It is widely grown in South Africa and the main production regions are the Northern Province and Mpumalanga. This tree flourishes in humid warm conditions where enough water is available during the fruit development stage.

Mangifera indica is a medium to large evergreen tree with a mature height of 9 to 35m. It has a long tap root, up to 6 m in depth and a dense mass of feeding roots just beneath the soil surface. The leaves are simple, leathery and pointed and will emit a distinct turpentine odour when crushed in many cultivars.

Mango has different varieties which have a different time of ripening, fruit size appearance, taste and quality of fruit. Mangoes are alternate-bearing trees which means that fruits vary in size from one year to the next. Good orchard management practices, such as fertilisation, can reduce fruit differences. Tommy Atkins cultivar is one of the earliest to mature and bears large fruit of 450 to 700g. The skin has an attractive red colour and the fruit has a good shelf life. The flavour of the flesh is mild and sweet with a certain amount of fibre. Ripe fruit can be distinguished by the softer texture and a mild aroma of mango.