The New Student's Reference Work/Mangrove

Man′grove, the ordinary name of species of Rhizophora, which number five or six and are widely distributed in the tropics. The commonest mangrove is R. mangle, and this is one of the most abundant plants of the swampy shores of tropical and subtropical seas. It is an important agent in the extension of land into the sea, by means of aerial roots which are put out from the branches and dangle in the wind until they reach the mucky soil beneath the water, where they strike root and become rigid. The seed also germinates while the fruit is still upon the tree, so that the young plantlets drop like plumb-bobs into the water and at once take root. In both of these ways the mangrove gradually advances seaward, and the detritus caught by the interwoven stems and roots presently builds up land. R. mangle grows along the western and eastern coasts of Florida, a round-topped bushy tree, the wood used for fuel and wharf-piles.