Black Mangrove

Avicenia germinans

Trees up to 20m tall with large spreading branches and dark brown bark. Leaves are opposite, leathery, and narrowly elliptic, dark green above, pale and ¨hairy¨ below, often coated with salt as shown at left. Flowers are yellow, and clustered in short spikes. Black mangroves form a carpet of short aerial roots, or pneumatophores surrounding the plant (see picture above). Fruit are green and lima bean-shaped. Usually found landwise of the red mangroves, the species grows well in may different substrates, and is the most cold-hardy of the Florida mangroves.