Rhizophora mangle

Red mangroves are found in subtropical and tropical areas in both hemispheres, extending to near 28°N to S latitude. They thrive on coastlines in brackish water and in swampy salt marshes. Because they are well adapted to salt water, they thrive where many other plants fail and create their own ecosystems, the mangals. Red mangroves are often found near white mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa), black mangroves (Avicennia germinans), and buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) though often more seaward than the other species. Through stabilization of their surroundings, mangroves create a community for other plants and animals (such as mangrove crabs). Though rooted in soil, mangrove roots are often submerged in water for several hours or on a permanent basis. The roots are usually sunk in a sand or clay base, which allows for some protection from the waves.

Specimens of Moesziomyces aphidis have been collected from water samples and on Rhizophora mangle leaves along the Perequê-Áçu River, in mangroves located in São Paulo State, Brazil.^[5]

Red mangroves are easily distinguishable through their unique prop roots system and viviparous seeds. The prop roots of a red mangrove suspend it over the water, thereby giving it extra support and protection. They also help the tree to combat hypoxia by allowing it a direct intake of oxygen through its root structure.

A mangrove can reach up to 80 ft (24 m) in height in ideal conditions, but it is commonly found at a more modest 20 ft (6.1 m). Its bark is thick and a grey-brown color. Mangrove leaves are 1–2 in (2.5–5.1 cm) wide and 3–5 in (7.6–12.7 cm) long, with smooth margins and an elliptical shape. They are a darker shade of green on the tops than on the bottoms. The tree produces yellow flowers in the spring.

As a viviparous plant, R. mangle creates a propagule that is in reality a living tree. Though resembling an elongated seed pod, the fully grown propagule on the mangrove is capable of rooting and producing a new tree. The trees are hermaphrodites, capable of self or wind pollination. The tree undergoes no dormant stage as a seed, but rather progresses to a live plant before leaving its parent tree. A mangrove propagule may float in brackish water for over a year before rooting.

In the Casamance region in southern Senegal, halved roots of R. mangle are commonly used to create roof and ceiling structures, as well as for production of firewood and charcoal.^{[citation needed]}

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  A free-standing red mangrove tree growing in shallow water in the backcountry of the Cape Sable area of Everglades National Park.
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  Propagules growing before dropping from the parent plant in the Puerto Mosquito Bio Bay, Vieques.
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  A red mangrove forest in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
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  Root structure above and below water.
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  An ecotourist on a kayak tunnel through red mangrove trees and roots at Lido Key.

• Wetland

  Media related to Rhizophora mangle at Wikimedia Commons

• Rhizophora mangle images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
• https://web.archive.org/web/20100114230245/http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/28_9227.htm More detailed information on the Red Mangrove.
• "Rhizophora mangle". Atlas of Living Australia.