''Rhizophora'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of tropical

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

trees, sometimes collectively called true mangroves. The most notable species is the red mangrove (''

Rhizophora mangle ''Rhizophora mangle'', also known as the red mangrove, is a salt-tolerant, small-to-medium sized evergreen tree restricted to coastal, estuarine ecosystems along the southern portions of North America, the Caribbean as well as Central America ...

'') but some other species and a few natural

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

s are known. ''Rhizophora'' species generally live in

intertidal zone The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of habitats with various ...

s which are inundated daily by the ocean. They exhibit a number of adaptations to this environment, including

pneumatophores Aerial roots are roots growing above the ground. They are often adventitious, i.e. formed from nonroot tissue. They are found in diverse plant species, including epiphytes such as orchids (''Orchidaceae''), tropical coastal swamp trees such ...

that elevate the plants above the water and allow them to respire oxygen even while their lower roots are submerged and a

cytological Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living an ...

molecular "pump" mechanism that allows them to remove excess salts from their cells. The generic name is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

words ῥίζα (''rhiza''), meaning "root," and φορός (''phoros''), meaning "bearing," referring to the stilt-roots. The beetle ''

Poecilips fallax ''Poecilips fallax'' is a small beetle of the subfamily Scolytinae. The beetle, related to carver beetles, is a pest of mangrove trees, especially ''Rhizophora mucronata'' and ''Rhizophora apiculata''. The adults oviposit or insert their eggs ...

'' is a common pest of these trees, especially ''

Rhizophora mucronata ''Rhizophora mucronata'' (loop-root mangrove, red mangrove or Asiatic mangrove) is a species of mangrove found on coasts and river banks in East Africa and the Indo-Pacific region. Description ''Rhizophora mucronata'' is a small to medium si ...

'' and ''

Rhizophora apiculata The tall-stilt mangrove (''Rhizophora apiculata'') belongs to the Plantae kingdom under the Rhizophoraceae family. ''R. apiculata'' is distributed throughout Southeast Asia and the List of islands in the Pacific Ocean, western Pacific islands. ...

''. This beetle (related to carver beetles) lays its eggs in the

hypocotyl The hypocotyl (short for "hypocotyledonous stem", meaning "below seed leaf") is the stem of a germinating seedling, found below the cotyledons (seed leaves) and above the radicle (root). Eudicots As the plant embryo grows at germination, it send ...

s. When they hatch, the larvae dig tunnels through the

, distorting its shape, When the beetle pupates it leaves the plant, but the

will no longer be able to develop normally. The red mangrove is the state tree of

Delta Amacuro Delta Amacuro State (, ) is one of the 23 States of Venezuela, states of Venezuela, and is the location of the Orinoco Delta. The Paria Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean are found to the north, Bolívar State (Venezuela), Bolívar State is found to th ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

; a dark brown dye can be produced from it, which is used in

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

n ngatu cloth production.

Species

Hybrids

* '' Rhizophora × annamalayana'' Kathiresan (''R. apiculata × R. mucronata'') * '' Rhizophora × lamarckii'' Montrouz. (''R. apiculata × R. stylosa'') * '' Rhizophora × selala'' (Salvoza) P.B.Tomlinson (''R. mangle × R. stylosa'')

Formerly placed here

* ''

Aegiceras corniculatum ''Aegiceras corniculatum'', commonly known as black mangrove, river mangrove, goat's horn mangrove, or khalsi, is a species of shrub or tree mangrove in the primrose family (biology), family, Primulaceae, with a distribution in coastal and estua ...

'' (L.) Blanco (as ''R. corniculata'' L.) * ''

Bruguiera gymnorhiza ''Bruguiera gymnorhiza'', the large-leafed orange mangrove or oriental mangrove,) is a mangrove tree that grows usually to high, but sometimes up to 35m, that belongs to the family Rhizophoraceae. It is found on the seaward side of mangrove swa ...

'' (L.) Savigny (as ''R. gymnorhiza'' L.) * ''

Bruguiera parviflora ''Bruguiera parviflora'' is a tree in the family Rhizophoraceae. The specific epithet ' is from the Latin meaning 'small flowers'. Description ''Bruguiera parviflora'' grows up to tall with a trunk diameter of up to . The bark is pale grey to p ...

'' (Roxb.) Wight & Arn. ex Griff. (as ''R. parviflora'' Roxb.) * ''

Bruguiera sexangula ''Bruguiera sexangula'', commonly called the upriver orange mangrove, is a mangrove shrub or tree usually growing up to 15 m, occasionally 30 m, in height. Description ''Bruguiera sexangula'' may grow as a single-stemmed tree or multi- ...

'' (Lour.) Poir. (as ''R. sexangula'' Lour.) * ''

Ceriops tagal ''Ceriops tagal'', commonly known as spurred mangrove or Indian mangrove, is a mangrove tree species in the family Rhizophoraceae. It is a protected tree in South Africa. The specific epithet ' is a plant name from the Tagalog language. Descrip ...

'' (Perr.) C.B.Rob. (as ''R. tagal'' Perr.)

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Malpighiales genera Mangroves

Species

Hybrids

Formerly placed here

See also

References

External links