The mango, a widely cherished tropical fruit, is recognized globally for its sweet and juicy pulp. Like all living organisms, fruits are categorized into specific groups based on their shared biological characteristics. This classification helps in understanding their evolutionary relationships and common botanical traits.
Where Mango Belongs
The mango, specifically Mangifera indica, is classified within the plant family Anacardiaceae. This botanical grouping is often referred to by its more common names, such as the cashew family or the sumac family. This classification is based on distinct shared characteristics among its members.
Defining the Family
The Anacardiaceae family encompasses approximately 83 genera and 860 species, primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Most plants in this family typically produce a drupe fruit. A drupe is a fleshy fruit with a single, hard pit enclosing the seed, as seen in mango, cashew, and pistachio.
The family is also characterized by resin ducts throughout plant tissues. These ducts exude resins and gums that can blacken upon air exposure. Many species within this family also produce urushiol, an oily compound responsible for allergenic reactions in some individuals. Found in plants like poison ivy and poison oak, urushiol represents a shared chemical defense mechanism.
Other Relatives
The Anacardiaceae family includes other economically important plants. The cashew (Anacardium occidentale) is a prominent member, cultivated for its edible “nut,” which is botanically a seed encased within a drupe. The cashew fruit also features a fleshy, pear-shaped accessory structure known as the cashew apple. Similar to other relatives, the shell surrounding the cashew seed contains urushiol, necessitating careful processing.
Another significant relative is the pistachio (Pistacia vera), a small tree native to Central and Southwest Asia. Its edible green seeds, culinary nuts, are botanically drupes. Like mango and cashew, pistachios contain urushiol, though in smaller quantities.
The Rhus genus, commonly known as sumac, also belongs to this family. Sumac species are shrubs and small trees, with some varieties used as culinary spices or dyes, characterized by their clusters of reddish, thin-fleshed drupes. Notably, poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix), despite its common name, is closely related to other Rhus species and is highly allergenic due to its urushiol content, underscoring the diverse range of species sharing these defining family characteristics.