Avicennia germinans

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

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Read about Avicennia germinans in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Avicennia nitida, Jacq. Black Mangrove. White Mangrove. Honey Mangrove. Salt-bush. A tree, usually of moderate size but sometimes 60 to 70 ft. high, with a short trunk, and spreading crooked branches: inner bark bright orange-red, outer bark scaly, deciduous, dark reddish brown: young branches hoary-pubescent, at length glabrous and marked with interpetiolar lines and conspicuous If.-scars: Ivs. opposite, oblong or lanceolate-elliptical, gradually narrowed at the base, coriaceous, deep green and glossy above, whitish or grayish beneath, 2 or 3 in. long and about 1-1½ in. broad: fls. inconspicuous, fragrant, borne in few-fld. spikes on angled canescent peduncles, closely invested with small bracts; corolla whitish, about ½ in. diam. when expanded, the lobes slightly tomentose on both surfaces, and the 4 anthers together with the style protruding from the nearly closed throat: fr. oblong or elliptic 1-2 in. long and about 1 in. broad. Mangrove swamps and shores of estuaries, Fla., Miss., and Texas; also Trop. Amer.—The fls. are very rich in honey, on which account bee-keepers in certain parts of Fia. transport their entire apiaries to the coast, along the Indian River during the season of blooming, which occurs in June and July. The honey produced is white and clear, and of excellent flavor, and always commands the highest market-price. The embryo begins to germinate while the fr. is still on the tree. When it drops off, the two cotyledons unfold into a miniature boat, floating on the tide, which distributes the fr. along the shores of bays and lagoons and carries it to the outlying keys. Crystals of salt are often deposited on the lvs., on which account this species is sometimes called palo de sal, or salt-bush. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

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