Black Mangrove

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

• 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

Spikes:

• 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.

Pros and Cons of Black Mangrove

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.

At this time, black mangrove is a threatened species.