FNPS Plant Database

Avicennia germinans

black mangrove
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

black mangrove

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Avicennia germinans

Family:

Avicenniaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

15 to 40 (60) ft tall by 10 to 30 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

green

Phenology:

Evergreen. Sends up pheumatiphores. Seeds germinate on the tree.

Noted For:

Hurricane Wind Resistance

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Valued as a shoreline stabilization plant. Can also be used for screening.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries

Propagation:

Seed, but more often by propagule, which form while still attached to the mother plant.

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Stays wet -to- Stays wet

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salt.

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Suitable to Grow In:

9A,9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars

Larval host for mangrove buckeye ( Junonia evarete ) butterfly. Nectar plant for a variety of pollinators including the great southern white ( Ascia monuste ) butterfly.  Nectar used by butterflies.  Pollinated by bees, wasps, and flies. (Landry, 2013).

Provides good cover for birds and other wildlife. 

Native Habitats:

Coastal mangrove wetlands, usually somewhat upland of the red mangrove(Rhizophora mangle) when found together.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

The common name black mangrove is a reference to the color of the trunk and heartwood. The plant excretes salt from its leaves, an adaptation to a saline environment. Pneumataphores rise above the substrate and make this an important plant for coastline erosion prevention. This is a protected plant and you may not trim back or gather propagules without permission.

Citations:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3555529/

Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell.  1999.  Native Florida Plants.  Gulf Publishing Company.  Houston, TX.



Institute for Regional Conservation.  Accessed 2021-12-01.  https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Annoglab.



Nelson, Gil.  2003.  Florida's Best Landscape Plants. Association of Florida Native Nurseries.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu /).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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