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Red Mangrove
Rhizophora mangle
{Species
Archive Index}
 
photos ©Ginger Allen, UF/IFAS
Propagule (seed body)
Identifiers- Leaves are dark green, oval, rounded at the
outer end, narrowing toward base. Stilt-like prop roots shoot up from
the sand and many drop down forming dense thickets. Roots appear rust-red
when wet.
Adaptations- cigar-shaped propagules (seeds
that germinate on the tree inside a protective pod)
Status-
common along Florida's central/south coasts (Levy to Volusia), more common on
southern Gulf coast
Distribution- Tropical America from
Bermuda through West Indies to Florida. Northern Mexico south to Brazil and
Ecuador including Galapagos Islands and north-western Peru. Also in Western
Africa.
Habitat-
grows in brackish or salt water along the shores of the Florida peninsula
and inland rivers,
- form tidal swamps
Reproduction- propagules drop into sand and sprout new trees
Fun facts
- also called "walking trees"
- least salt water tolerant of all mangroves, exude salt at root
- thickets stabilize banks, protect communities from hurricane damage
- roots provide structure for marine organisms to attach
- provide critical nesting habitat (rookeries) for coastal birds
- ability to tolerate salt allows this tree to out-compete other coastal
species
- Florida natives would tie their boats to the roots in hurricanes
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