FNPS Plant Database

Laguncularia racemosa

white mangrove
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

white mangrove

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Laguncularia racemosa

Family:

Combretaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

20 ft tall by 20 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

green

Phenology:

Evergreen. Blooms primarily March-September.

Noted For:

Hurricane Wind Resistance

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Useful in coastal sites both for screening, windbreak, and as a plant useful to coastal stabilization. Plant slightly upslope of red and black mangroves.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries

Propagation:

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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Aquatic -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:

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

 Attracts bees, wasps, flies and butterflies (Landry 2013).

Native Habitats:

Mangrove swamps. Tends to be at higher elevations that red and black mangroves.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

It's called "white mangrove" because it exudes extra salt through special glands which makes the leaves appear white.



The word "mangrove"  refers to all types of trees that have adapted to living in the sea. Worldwide, there are 23 genera from eight different families that have species that are described as mangroves.

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.  Natives for Your Neighborhood.   https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Lagurace.



Landry, C. L. 2013.   Changes in pollinator assemblages following hurricanes affect the mating systems of  Laguncularia racemosa  (Combretaceae) in Florida, U.S.A. Journal of Tropical Ecology , 29:  209–216.



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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