Mangifera indica is a large green tree, valued mainly for its fruits, both green and ripe.[4] Approximately 500 (with more than 1000 wild which are unreported as each monoembryonic seed gives a new variety of mango) varieties have been reported in India.[4] It can grow up to 15–30 metres (50–100 feet) tall[5] with a similar crown width and a trunk circumference of more than 3.7 m (12 ft).[4][6] The leaves are simple, shiny and dark green.[7]

Yellow-white fragrant flowers appear at the end of winter, and also at the beginning of spring. Both male and female flowers are borne on same tree.[4] Climatic conditions have a significant influence on the time of flowering.[4] In South Asia, flowering starts in December in the south, in January in Bengal, in February in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and in February–March in northern India. The duration of flowering is 20–25 days for the Dasheri variety, while panicle emergence occurs in early December and flower opening is completed by February. The Neelum variety produces two crops a year in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, but it flowers only once in North Indian conditions.[8]

The mango is an irregular, egg-shaped fruit which is a fleshy drupe.[4] Mangos are typically 8–12 centimetres (3–5 inches) long and greenish yellow in color. The fruits can be round, oval, heart, or kidney shaped.[4] Mango fruits are green when they are unripe.[4] The interior flesh is bright orange and soft with a large, flat pit in the middle.[4] Mangos are mature in April and May. Raw mangos can be used in the making of pickles and chutneys.[9] Ripe mangos are a popular fruit throughout the world. The skin and pulp account for 85% of the mango's weight, and the remaining 15% comes from the stone (seed).[10]