Avicennia germinans

rdf:langString Avicennia germinans

rdf:langString Black mangrove

rdf:langString L.

rdf:langString Avicennia

rdf:langString Black mangrove growing in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

rdf:langString Avicennia germinans range map 3.png

rdf:langString Distribution of Avicennia germinans

rdf:langString germinans

rdf:langString LC

rdf:langString IUCN3.1

rdf:langString *Avicennia africana (P.Beauv.) *Avicennia elliptica (Thunb.) *Avicennia elliptica var. martii (Moldenke) *Avicennia floridana (Raf.) *Avicennia floridana (Gand.) *Avicennia germinans f. aberrans (Moldenke) *Avicennia germinans f. brasiliensis (Moldenke) *Avicennia germinans f. venezuelensis (Moldenke) *Avicennia germinans var. guayaquilensis ( Moldenke) *Avicennia germinans var. cumanensis ( Moldenke) *Avicennia lamarckiana (C.Presl) *Avicennia meyeri (Miq.) *Avicennia nitida (Jacq.) *Avicennia nitida (Sessé & Moc.) *Avicennia nitida var. trinitensis (Moldenke) *Avicennia oblongifolia (Nutt. ex Chapm.) *Avicennia officinalis var. lanceolata (Kuntze) *Avicennia officinalis var. nitida (Kuntze) *Avicennia tomentosa (Jacq.) *Avicennia tomentosa var. campechensis (Jacq.) *Avicennia tomentosa var. cumanensis (Kunth) *Avicennia tomentosa var. guayaquilensis (Kunth) *Bontia germinans (L.) *Hilairanthus nitidus ( Tiegh.) *Hilairanthus tomentosus ( Tiegh.)

rdf:langString Avicennia germinans, the black mangrove, is a shrub or small tree growing up to 12 meters (39 feet) in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, and on the Atlantic Coast of tropical Africa, where it thrives on the sandy and muddy shores where seawater reaches. It is common throughout coastal areas of Texas and Florida, and ranges as far north as southern Louisiana and coastal Georgia in the United States. Like many other mangrove species, it reproduces by vivipary. Seeds are encased in a fruit, which reveals the germinated seedling when it falls into the water. Unlike other mangrove species, it does not grow on prop roots, but possesses pneumatophores that allow its roots to breathe even when submerged. It is a hardy species and expels absorbed salt mainly from its leathery leaves. The name "black mangrove" refers to the color of the trunk and heartwood. The leaves often appear whitish from the salt excreted at night and on cloudy days. It is often found in its native range with the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) and the white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa). White mangroves grow inland from black mangroves, which themselves grow inland from red mangroves. The three species work together to stabilize the shoreline, provide buffers from storm surges, trap debris and detritus brought in by tides, and provide feeding, breeding, and nursery grounds for a great variety of fish, shellfish, birds, and other wildlife.