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Horse mango (Mangifera foetida)

Dlium Horse mango (Mangifera foetida)

Horse mango (Mangifera foetida) is a plant species in the Anacardiaceae family. It is a large tree with a straight trunk, reaching a height of 30–35 meters. Its bark is brown to dark grayish-brown, featuring shallow fissures or grooves, and it exudes a clear, whitish-gray sap that eventually turns reddish and then black. This sap is caustic; it causes itching and can damage the skin.

M. foetida has somewhat stiff, leathery leaves that are oblong-elliptical in shape—measuring 9–15 cm in width and 15–40 cm in length—with a smooth (glabrous) surface and a dark green color. The petioles (leaf stalks) are rigid and 1.5–8 cm long. This species grows wild in forests.

The inflorescence consists of terminal, upright, branched, pyramid-shaped panicles, 10–40 cm in length, which are dark red to copper-red and fragrant. The flowers are numerous, small, and pentamerous (having parts in multiples of five). The sepals are 4–5 mm long and obovate (inversely egg-shaped), while the petals are 6–9 mm long, narrowly lanceolate, and range in color from pink to pale yellow at the tips.

The fruit is oblong-ovoid or nearly spherical, measuring 7–12 cm in width and 9–16 cm in length. It has a thick, smooth skin that is green to yellowish, dull in appearance, and covered with brownish lenticels (small pores). The flesh of the ripe fruit is pale yellow-orange to yellow; it is fibrous, sweet-and-sour, and very juicy, with a pungent, turpentine-like aroma.

The fruit is typically eaten fresh. Its distinctive fragrance makes it a popular ingredient for beverages. Because the caustic sap is also present in the fruit's skin, the fruit must be peeled deeply. Unripe fruit is peeled and often soaked in saltwater before being sliced for use in rujak (spicy fruit salad) or asinan (pickled fruit). In East Kalimantan, the fruit is frequently used as a souring agent when preparing sambal (chili sauce).

Wood is not of high quality, though it is sometimes used for light indoor construction. Its leaves are used to reduce fever, while the seeds are employed to treat fungal infections, scabies, and eczema. The sap is used to darken traditional tattoos. Per 100 grams, the ripe fruit contains 98 calories, 1.4% protein, 0.2% fat, and 72.5% water.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Subfamily: Anacardioideae
Genus: Mangifera L. in Sp. Pl.: 200 (1753)
Species: Mangifera foetida Lour. in Fl. Cochinch.: 160 (1790)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Mangifera foetida var. cochinchinensis Pierre in Fl. Forest. Cochinch. 23: t. 365F (1897)
Mangifera foetida var. leschenaultii (Marchand) Engl. in A.L.P.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 4: 212 (1883)
Mangifera foetida var. sphaeroidea Blume in Mus. Bot. 1: 199 (1850)
Mangifera horsfieldii Miq. in Fl. Ned. Ind. 1(2): 632 (1859)
Mangifera leschenaultii Marchand in Rév. Anacardiac.: 189 (1869)

PUBLICATIONS

Chayamarit, K. (2010). Flora of Thailand 10(3): 265-329. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.

Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1-915. Chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Kress, W.J., DeFilipps, R.A., Farr, E. & Kyi, D.Y.Y. (2003). A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs and Climbers of Myanmar. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45: 1-590. Smithsonian Institution.

Lê, T.C. (2003). Danh lục các loài thực vật Việt Nam 2: 1-1203. Hà Nội : Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp.

Nurtjahya, E. & al. (2026). Flowering Plants of Bangka Island: Native and Introduced. Acta Botanica Hungarica 68: 127-156.

Turner, I.M. (1995). A catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 47(1): 1-346.

van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (ed.) (1974-1978). Flora Malesiana 8: 1-577. Noordhoff-Kolff N.V., Djakarta.

VERNACULAR NAME

Banjar: Asam hambawang, Asem hambawang
Burmese: လာမော့တ် - လာမော့တ် La mot, La-môt
Czech: Mangovník smrdutý
English: Horse mango
French: Manguier fétide, Mangue fétide, Bachang
German: Stinkende Mango
Indonesian: Bacang, Mangga kuda, Ambacang, Embacang, Mangga bacang
Java: Pakèl
Kalimantan: Malmut, Limus, Bachang, Kemantan
Khmer: ស្វាយ សââ Svaay sââ
Malaysia: Bacang, Bachang, Machang, Machai, Membacang, Pahu, Macang
Slovak: Mangovník smradľavý
Sumatera: Macang, Machang
Sunda: Limus
Thai: มะมุด
Vietnam: Xoài hôi

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