Avicennia marina
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 Avicennia marina, New Zealand
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| Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. |
Avicennia marina, commonly known as grey mangrove or white mangrove, is a species of mangrove tree classified in the plant family Acanthaceae (formerly in the Verbenaceae or Avicenniaceae). As with other mangroves, it occurs in the intertidal zones of estuarine areas. It is distributed along the east coast of Africa, throughout south and south-east Asia, and into Australia. In Australia, it extends much farther south than any other mangrove, occurring in every mainland State. It also occurs in New Zealand between 34 and 38 degrees South; its Māori name is 'manawa'.
Grey mangrove grows to a height of from three to eight metres. It has light-grey bark made up of thin, stiff, brittle flakes. The leaves are thick, five to eight centimetres long, a bright, glossy green on top and white or grey and hairy underneath. As with other Avicennia species, it has aerial roots (pneumatophores); these grow to a height of about 20 centimetres, and a diameter of one centimetre. The flowers are a golden yellow colour, less than a centimetre across, and occur in clusters of three to five.
Grey mangrove is a highly variable tree, with a number of ecotypes, and forms closely resembling other species. A number of botanists have proposed division of the species, but currently three subspecies are recognised:
- Avicennia marina subsp. australasica
- Avicennia marina subsp. eucalyptifolia
- Avicennia marina subsp. marina
[edit] References
- Avicennia marina. FloraBase. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.
- Boland, D. J. et. al. (1984). Forest Trees of Australia (Fourth edition revised and enlarged). CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria, Australia. ISBN 0-643-05423-5. .
- Duke, N.C. (1991). "A Systematic Revision of the Mangrove Genus Avicennia (Avicenniaceae) in Australasia". Australian Systematic Botany 4 (2): 299–324.
