''Pelliciera rhizophorae'', known as the tea mangrove, is a less-common species 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 ...

s found along the Pacific coast from the

Gulf of Nicoya The Gulf of Nicoya ( es, Golfo de Nicoya) is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. It separates the Nicoya Peninsula from the mainland of Costa Rica, and encompasses a marine and coastal landscape of wetlands, rocky islands and cliffs. The first Spanish ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

to the

Esmeraldas River The Esmeraldas River is a river in northwestern Ecuador that flows into the Pacific Ocean at the city of Esmeraldas. Among its tributaries is the Guayllabamba River which drains Quito. Charles Marie de la Condamine sailed up it and then climbed ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

, as well as within stands located in Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia. During eras such as the

Cenozoic The Cenozoic ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configura ...

, the species was prevalent. The

mangrove hummingbird The mangrove hummingbird (''Amazilia boucardi'') is an Endangered species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Costa Rica. Taxonomy The mangrove hummingbird was formally described in 18 ...

s of Costa Rica live off the relatively large quantity of nectar produced by its prolific blooms. ''Pelliciera rhizophorae'' is the only species in the genus ''Pelliciera'' which was previously recognized as the only genus in the family Pellicieraceae, but is now included in the family

Tetrameristaceae Tetrameristaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family consists of five species, of trees or shrubs, in three genera: * '' Pelliciera'' in Central and South America * '' Pentamerista'' in the Guyanas * '' Tetramerista'' in Southeast Asia ...

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2321967 Ericales Mangroves Flora of Central America Flora of South America Monotypic Ericales genera