The tree belongs to the family Anacardiaceae which also includes mango and cashew.

The tree and its fruit are commonly confused with the closely related Bouea oppositifolia, both of which show considerable morphological variation.

The unripe fruit (resembling a mango) are green in colour and mature to an orange/yellow, with the seed being pink.

The fruit range from sweet to sour in flavor similar to the Alphonso mango,[6] and have a light smell of turpentine.

When ripe, the fruit is soft and has fibrous mango-like seeds that have a noticeable purple color.

In 2015 a major retailer introduced the fruit to the British public under the name plango, apparently a portmanteau word for "plum" and "mango".