That’s right, Wondernose. While the fruits are still on this tree, the seeds germinate and begin growing roots. Down, down the roots grow; sometimes they even become implanted in the mud before the fruit falls from the tree. What happens in most cases, though, is that the fruit falls when the root is about a foot long. Then the root is driven into the mud and starts sending up a new trunk.
This is quite different from most plants, isn’t it? For most plants, the ripe fruit will drop to the ground and decay. (Or, depending on what kind of plant it is, the fruit will get eaten.) The seeds left on the ground will then germinate, sending roots downward and stems upward. Usually this kind of propagation takes place on firm ground.
Not so with our mystery tree. These trees always grow on coastal flats in saltwater swamps. They are tropical trees, found in the coastal regions of the gulf states and other tropical areas around the world. Can you imagine the dense masses of vegetation that result when trees are constantly sending down roots from fruits, while also growing new trunks? Going for a stroll in this kind of “forest” is really not possible. The only way to get through vegetation this dense is to hack your way through!
Yes, Wondernose, our mystery plant is the mangrove tree. But you’re pronouncing the word wrong. Don’t say man-grove, as though it were a grove of men. Instead, say mang-grove, “mang” rhyming with “bang.” There, that’s better.
So you’ve heard of Florida’s mangrove swamps. There are acres of them along some of the coasts. The interesting thing is that a stand of mangrove trees can change the map of a country! By this I mean that the land can become extended farther out into the water.
Think about it. What will happen when such an abundance of vegetation stands in the water? Silt carried down to the coast will get caught in the tangle. Eventually the silt builds up, and the mangrove trees find themselves rooted in solid ground rather than mud and saltwater.
At the same time, however, coastlines are always changing in the opposite way. Tidal action and ocean currents constantly wear at the coastline, eating it away. Thus, while mangroves may be producing new land, the ocean’s action keeps the net result down so that Florida isn’t really growing.
Two main species of mangrove trees are common in the USA, the red and the black. They typically grow 5-30 feet (2-10 m)
tall. In ideal conditions they can grow larger. Often, though, mangroves are little more than shrubs.
Honeybees really like the little white flowers of the black mangrove.
Mangrove trees have other uses than just forming new land along coasts. Some species have hard, durable wood that’s good for lumber. The bark contains a product used in leather tanning. But, generally speaking, mangrove trees are best known for their tangled growth. With all those airborne roots, they look like a forest on stilts!
