Avicennia germinans
USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 March 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Illustration: Peter H. Raven Library/Missouri Botanical Garden (www.botanicus.org, 6 April, 2018).
What is Black Mangrove?
Physical Characteristics
- Evergreen shrub
- Rarely taller than 3 feet
Leaves:
- Leaf stalks 0.08-1.06 inches long
- Up to 6 inches long
- Up to 1.75 inches wide
- Grayish underneath
Flowers:
- White in color
- Velvety on inside
- Bloom Jul – Aug
- Up to 2.56 inches long
- Up to 0.59 inches wide
Fruit:
- Egg-shaped
- Asymmetrical
- Up to 0.78 inches long
- Up to 0.47 inches wide
- Covered in gray hairs
Where Does it Grow?
Black mangrove can be found in mangrove lagoons and along tidal shores in saline to brackish water.
Pros and Cons of Black Mangrove
Useful for canal bank stabilization and as a hedge bordering bodies of salt water.
Nectar feeds insects, seeds feed granivorous birds and small mammals, along with providing cover and nesting habitat.
Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.