Red Mangrove
Rhizophora mangle
Plant Family: Rhizophoraceae
Leaves: Opposite, simple, thick, elliptic, to 15 cm, green above, paler green below, appearing whorled at the twig ends.
Bark: Light to medium gray, mottled, with arching reddish-brown prop roots.
Flowers: White to yellow, waxy, with four petals, in sparse clusters in the leaf axils; all year, peaking in the spring.
Fruits: Brown, ovoid, germinating on the tree, the embryonic roots (just beginning in the photo) may reach to over 20 cm long; all year, peaking in summer to fall.
Habitat: Shallow salt water of the coastal zone.
Growth Form: Shrub to small tree, almost always in extensive single species thickets at the seaward edge of the mangrove zone.
Key Features: Of the mangroves, Red Mangrove has leaves green above, paler green below, and reddish-brown prop roots.
Comments: Coastal, at the seaward edge of the mangrove zone; the “walking tree.” Generally a small tree in Florida, it may grow much larger further south in the tropics.
