''Kandelia obovata'' (Traditional Chinese: 水筆仔、秋茄樹) is a species of plant in the

Rhizophoraceae The Rhizophoraceae is a family of tropical or subtropical flowering plants. It includes around 147 species distributed in 15 genera.Setoguchi, H., Kosuge, K., & Tobe, H. (1999). Molecular Phylogeny of Rhizophoraceae Based on rbcL Gene Sequences. ...

family, i.e. a kind of

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

. It is found in Vietnam,

Natuna Islands ''(Sacred Ocean, Fortune Land) , image_map = , pushpin_map = Indonesia Riau Islands#Indonesia Sumatra#Indonesia#South China Sea , pushpin_map_caption = Location in Riau Islands##Location in Sumatra##Location in I ...

of Indonesia, Southern China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. Its presence in the Philippines is possible but not confirmed. The florescence period of this species is between May and July. The flowers of it are white and like a star. In Autumn, they usually fructify with cone-like fruits, and their seeds germinate while still attached to the parent tree. Once germinated, the seedling grows and forms a

propagule In biology, a propagule is any material that functions in propagating an organism to the next stage in its life cycle, such as by dispersal. The propagule is usually distinct in form from the parent organism. Propagules are produced by organisms ...

(a seedling ready to go), which can produce its own food via

photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...

. After 3 to 6 months, when the propagule is mature, it drops into the water where it can then be transported great distances. Propagules can survive desiccation and remain dormant for weeks, months, or even over a year until they arrive in a suitable environment. Once a propagule is ready to root, it will change its density so that the elongated shape now floats vertically rather than horizontally. In this position, it is more likely to become lodged in the mud and root. If it does not root, it can alter its density so that it floats off again in search of more favorable conditions. As a kind of

, ''K. obovata'' grows in

saline Saline may refer to: * Saline (medicine), a liquid with salt content to match the human body * Saline water, non-medicinal salt water * Saline, a historical term (especially US) for a salt works or saltern Places * Saline, Calvados, a commune in ...

(

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

) coastal habitats, and is mass planted in order to check winds, control sand and protect dikes.

Distribution

File:Kandelia genus distribution.png, ''K. obovata'' range (dark green) File:Kandelia obovata in Tin Tsui Wai.jpg, It is the most widespread mangrove species in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

References

* Sheue C. R., H. Y. Liu, and J. W. H. Yong . 2003. ''Kandelia obovata'' (Rhizophoraceae), a new mangrove species from Eastern Asia. Taxon 52: 287–294. Mangroves Rhizophoraceae Flora of China Flora of Hong Kong Flora of Kalimantan Flora of Japan Flora of Taiwan Flora of Vietnam Plants described in 2003 {{Malpighiales-stub