2015 年 59 巻 3 号 p. 89-100
Mangifera pentandra trees are common in Northeast Thailand, where they are known locally as kalon mango or paa mango. Kalon mango is recognized as being better-tasting than paa mango, but both belong to the same species. The differences between kalon and paa mangoes have not been previously examined. We recorded and interpreted indigenous knowledge of M. pentandra in Northeast Thailand, thereby contributing relevant information to future generations of local people. We also considered people–plant relationships in the process of fruit tree domestication. Our survey included 171 trees of M. pentandra found growing in crop fields, along roadsides, and in close vicinity to human habitats. All of these sites had been transformed from an original vegetation of mixed dipterocarp forest. One-third of the M. pentandra trees in our survey were recognized locally as kalon mango, while most of the remaining trees were paa mango. Kalon mango fruits were bigger than those of paa mango and had a higher sugar content. A dense, dome-shaped canopy, thin, narrow leaves, and pale-brown bark distinguished kalon mango trees from paa mango. Many paa mango trees found growing in crop fields were very large; the smaller kalon mango trees tended to occur near human settlement. We therefore propose that paa mango trees are remnants of natural forest and that kalon mango trees have been planted recently. Kalon mango may be the product of subconscious selection for superior fruits that are larger and better-tasting than the wild type.
