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:

15–40 (60) ft tall by 10–30 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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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

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.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Gann, G.D, C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. (2001+). Black mangrove. Natives For Your Neighborhood. ( https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Avicgerm ). Accessed 2025. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, Florida.


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


Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Wunderlin, R. P, B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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