Black mangrove is a tree that occurs from the United States to Perú and The Antillas. It grows in humid tropical environments with annual rainfall of 1000 to 1600 mm and temperatures between 22 to 28 ° C, in soils with high salinity conditions, since it is the mangrove species with the greatest tolerance to these conditions. It can reach a height between 15 to 30 m and diameters of 20 to 60 cm. It has opposite leaves, pale greenish-gray, shiny on the upper part. They are larger than most mangroves, measuring 4.5 to 15 cm long, and oblong to lanceolate in shape. The flowers are small approximately 0.2 cm and white or yellow, they bloom from November to May. The fruit measures 1cm on average and has an irregular oblique shape (Gómez & Flores, 2003; IICA / CATIE, s.f.)
This species has a large number of roots that protrude from the substrate and are known as pneumatophores, which have respiratory pores. A. germinans has adapted to secrete salt from the surface of its leaves, for this reason it can grow in areas with high salinity. If it does not rain, the salt crystallizes and can be easily observed on the surface of its leaves. (Ecoexploratorio, n.d.).
Taxonomy:
FAMILY
|
Acanthaceae
|
GENUS
|
Avicennia
|
SPECIES
|
Avicennia germinans
|
SYNONYMS
|
Avicennia africana P.Beauv., Avicennia elliptica Thunb., Avicennia floridana Gand.
|
COMMON NAME
|
Black Mangrove, Mangle Negro, Mangle Prieto
|
PDF, Articles, Books on Avicennia germinans L.
- FELLER, I. C., LOVELOCK, C. E. and K. L. McKEE
- 2007
- Nutrient Addition Differentially Affects Ecological Processes of Avicennia germinans in Nitrogen versus Phosphorus Limited Mangrove Ecosystems. Ecosystems volume 10, pages 347–359.
Available online:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10021-007-9025-z
- FUENTES, A., CASTILLO, F. J., DÁCILA, C. V., MORALES, A. S., SALAZAR, C. and M. L. LENDÍNEZ
- 2013
- Study of the vegetation in the Multiple Use Natural Reserve of Monterrico (Guatemala). An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology: Official Journal of the Societa Botanica Italiana, 148:6, 1064-1074.
Downloadable online:
www.researchgate.net/publication/269775093_Study_of_the_vegetation_in_the_Multiple_Use
_Natural_Reserve_of_Monterrico_Guatemala
- LÓPEZ, J. and E. EZCURRA
- 1985
- Litter Fall of Avicennia germinans L. in a One-Year Cycle in a Mudflat at the Laguna de Mecoacan, Tabasco, Mexico. Biotropica. Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 186-190.
Downloadable online:
www.jstor.org/stable/2388215
Suggested webpages with photos and information
on Avicennia germinans L.
https://ecoexploratorio.org/vida-en-el-mar/ecosistemas-marinos/manglares/
Information
www.gbif.org/es/species/2925400
Information and photos
www.lifeder.com/mangle-negro/
Information and photos
www.naturalista.mx/taxa/62853-Avicennia-germinans
Information and photos
www.sdnhm.org/oceanoasis/fieldguide/avic-ger-sp.html
Information
www.verarboles.com/Mangle%20Negro/manglenegro.html
Information
First posted October, 2021
|