660 CONTKIBUTIONS FBOM THE NATIONAL, HERBAEIUM. 



The pericarp of the fruit proper contains an oil, cardol, which is acrid and 

 caustic. This is driven off by heat, but the fumes which rise when the nuts are 

 heated should not be allowed to reach the face or eyes. The roasted kernels 

 are edible and have a pleasant milky flavor. The oil obtained from the nuts is 

 applied in India to the floors and rafters of houses to preserve them from 

 insects, but its use is dangerous. The ground kernels are sometimes used to 

 flavor wine, and they are mixed with chocolate. 



A decoction of the bark has been employed as a remedy for diarrhea, for 

 syphilitic swellings of the joints, and for diabetes. The oil from the pericarp 

 is sometimes used for ulcers, persistent skin diseases, and leprosy, and as an 

 application to remove warts and freckles, but because of its caustic properties 

 it must be employed with great caution.^ 



5. MANGIFERA L. Sp. PI. 200. 1753. 



1. Mangifera indica L. Sp. PI. 200. 1753. 



Widely cultivated in the warmer portions of Mexico and sometimes growing 

 without cultivation. Native of Asia ; cultivated in all tropical countries. 



Tree, 10 to 15 meters high, with dense spreading crown ; leaves petiolate, 

 oblong-lanceolate, usually narrowly so, 10 to 20 cm. long, acute or cuspidate- 

 acuminate subcoriaceous, glabrous ; flowers polygamous, whitish green, in large 

 terminal panicles ; sepals 5, 2.5 mm. long ; petals 5, 5 mm. long ; fertile stamens 

 1 or 2, but 8 or 4 staminodia present ; fruit a drupe, 3 to 4 cm. long or much 

 larger. Generally known in Spanish-speaking countries as " mango," which 

 is the English name also. 



The mango is one of the finest and most widely known of tropical fruits. 

 It is said to have been introduced into Mexico at the beginning of the 19th 

 century by Don Juan Antonio Gomez, a Spaniard living at Cordoba." It has 

 been introduced into Florida and California in comparatively recent years. The 

 mango makes a fine shade tree. The leaves are evergreen and when crushed 

 they emit an ordor of turpentine. Those of young branches are usually tinged 

 v/ith red or purple. The trees are most commonly grown from seeds, but the 

 better varieties are propagated by budding or grafting. 



The fruit is borne in the greatest profusion. Like most cultivated fruits, it 

 varies greatly in size and quality. Some fruits weigh as much as 4 or 5 pounds, 

 while others are no larger than plums. The shape varies from round to long 

 and slender. The skin is smooth, usually yellow or greenish but often tinged with 

 red. The flesh is juicy and often has a delightful fragrance. In some varieties 

 it has a strong flavor of turpentine, but in the better forms this is wholly lack- 

 ing. The large seed is covered with long, tough fibers which extend into the 

 flesh, but in the best varieties there is no fiber. The mango is most commonly 

 used as a dessert fruit, but it is often cooked or made into preserves, and vari- 

 ous beverages are made from it. The unripe fruit is often pickled in India and 

 used in various sauces and condiments. Alcoholic liquors are sometimes pre- 

 pared from the ripe fruit.* 



The wood is soft, brownish gray, with small spots and irregular lines of 

 brown ; its specific gravity is reported as 0.864. The seeds are said to possess 

 anthelmintic and astringent properties. The bark also is astringent and is 

 used locally for cutaneous diseases, chronic diarrhea, and fevers, while the gum 



* See Mariano Barcena, El maraiion : Sus caracteres y propledades, su aclima- 

 taci6n en Jalisco, Naturaleza 1: 835. 



" See Alcocer, Anal, Mus. Nac. M6x. II. 2 : 431. 1905. 



* For a full account of the mango, its culture, etc., see Popenoe in Bailey. 

 Stand. Cycl., Hort. 1984-1989. 1916. 



