| Laguncularia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| At Caeté estuary, Bragança, Pará, Brazil | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Combretaceae |
| Genus: | Laguncularia C.F.Gaertn. |
| Species: | L. racemosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Laguncularia racemosa (L.) C.F.Gaertn. | |
Laguncularia is a genus of plants in the familyCombretaceae. The only species in the genus isLaguncularia racemosa,[2] thewhite mangrove.[1]
It is native to the coasts of western Africa from Senegal to Cameroon, the Atlantic Coast of the Americas from Bermuda and Florida to the Bahamas, Mexico, the Caribbean, and south to Brazil; and on the Pacific Coast of the Americas from Mexico to northwestern Peru, including theGalápagos Islands.[1]
It is amangrove tree, growing to 12–18 m (39–59 ft) tall. Thebark is gray-brown or reddish, and rough and fissured.Pneumatophores and/or prop roots may be present, depending on environmental conditions. Theleaves are opposite, elliptical, 12–18 cm (4.7–7.1 in) long, and 2.5–5.0 cm (0.98–1.97 in) broad, rounded at both ends, entire, smooth, leathery in texture, slightly fleshy, without visible veins, and yellow-green in color. Thepetiole is stout, reddish, and 10–13 mm (0.39–0.51 in) long, with two small glands near the blade that exude sugars. The white, bell-shapedflowers are mostlybisexual and about 5 mm (0.20 in) long. Thefruit is a reddish-browndrupe, about 12–20 mm (0.47–0.79 in) long, with longitudinal ridges. The single seed is sometimesviviparous.
It grows in coastal areas of bays,lagoons, andtidal creeks, typically growing inland of other mangroves, well above the high tide line.
Media related toLaguncularia racemosa at Wikimedia Commons
