Black Mangrove
Avicennia germinans
Summary 3
Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), is a species of flowering plant in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae.
Comprehensive description 4
Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans) has a broad tropical distribution. Avicennia includes about 15 species, mostly restricted to coastal tidal regions in the tropics (Elias 1980). Tree and shrub species are described as mangroves based on their ecology rather than evolutionary relatedness, so mangrove species represent numerous plant families.
Black Mangrove groves are virtually impenetrable because of the dense branches. The trees produce numerous upright, unbranched roots (pneumatophores) above water and around the edges of the trees to provide the extensive root system with air. These pneumatophores also trap detritus brought in by the tides. (Elias 1980)
Sources and Credits
- (c) Sam Fraser-Smith, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfrasersmith/3778082358/
- (c) 2010 California Academy of Sciences, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=319317&one=T
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avicennia_germinans
- (c) Shapiro, Leo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/17570565
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- African Plants - a photo guide
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- Catalogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia
- eFloras.org
- Flora of North America (beta)
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- SEINet Symbiota portals
- Tropicos
- USDA PLANTS database
- World Flora Online
