Martha Alexander, age 13, of Tacoma, Wash., for her question:

WHERE DOES THE MANGO GROW?

Mango is a fruit tree that Browns in tropical areas around the world. It came to the Americas in the 1700s from its native Asia.

The Asian varieties of mango trees grow to be 90 feet high and 125 feet across. The types grown in the Hawaiian Islands, Florida and California are only about 40 feet tall. All together, there are dozens of different kinds of mango trees.

The fruit of the mango tree looks like a large plum and is about five inches across or larger. It is oblong, yellowish red and it has a thick rind with a juicy and sweet tasting pulp. Inside the pulp is a hard stone.

A single mango may weigh as much as three pounds. The fruit can be eaten with a spoon or the pulp can be used to make juice.

A fiberless type, of mango from Indonesia and the Philippines has become popular in Florida, where it was introduced in the early 1900s by the United States Department of Agriculture.