''Rhizophora'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of tropical

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal 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 evolution in severa ...

trees, sometimes collectively called true mangroves. The most notable species is the red mangrove (''

Rhizophora mangle ''Rhizophora mangle'', the red mangrove, is distributed in estuarine ecosystems throughout the tropics. Its viviparous "seeds", in actuality called propagules, become fully mature plants before dropping off the parent tree. These are disperse ...

'') but some other species and a few natural

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

s are known. ''Rhizophora'' species generally live in intertidal zones which are inundated daily by the ocean. They exhibit a number of adaptations to this environment, including pneutomatophores that elevate the plants above the water and allow them to respire oxygen even while their lower roots are submerged and a cytological molecular "pump" mechanism that allows them to remove excess salts from their cells. The generic name is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

words ριζα (''rhiza''), meaning "root," and φορος (''phoros''), meaning "bearing," referring to the stilt-roots. The beetle '' Poecilips fallax'' is a common pest of these trees, especially '' Rhizophora mucronata'' and ''

Rhizophora apiculata Rhizophora apiculata (''R. apiculata'') belongs to the Plantae kingdom under the Rhizophoraceae family. Currently ''R. apiculata'' is distributed throughout Australia (Queensland and Northern Territory), Guam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Microne ...

''. This beetle (related to carver beetles) lays its eggs in the hypocotyls. When they hatch, the larvae dig tunnels through the

hypocotyl The hypocotyl (short for "hypocotyledonous stem", meaning "below seed leaf") is the stem of a germinating seedling, found below the cotyledons (seed leaves) and above the radicle ( root). Eudicots As the plant embryo grows at germination, it se ...

, distorting its shape, When the beetle pupates it leaves the plant, but the

will no longer be able to develop normally. The red mangrove is the state tree of

Delta Amacuro Delta Amacuro State ( es, Estado Delta Amacuro, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, and is the location of the Orinoco Delta. The Paria Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean are found to the north, Bolívar State is found to the south, the Atlantic ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

; a dark brown dye can be produced from it, which is used in

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

n ngatu cloth production.

Species

Hybrids

* '' Rhizophora × annamalayana'' Kathiresan (''R. apiculata × R. mucronata'') * '' Rhizophora × lamarckii'' Montrouz. (''R. apiculata × R. stylosa'') * '' Rhizophora × selala'' (Salvoza) P.B.Tomlinson (''R. mangle × R. stylosa'')

Formerly placed here

* '' Aegiceras corniculatum'' (L.) Blanco (as ''R. corniculata'' L.) * ''

Bruguiera gymnorhiza ''Bruguiera gymnorhiza'', the large-leafed orange mangrove or oriental mangrove,) is a mangrove tree that grows usually to 7-20m high, but sometimes up to 35m, that belongs to the family Rhizophoraceae. It is found on the seaward side of mangrov ...

'' (L.) Savigny (as ''R. gymnorhiza'' L.) * '' Bruguiera parviflora'' (Roxb.) Wight & Arn. ex Griff. (as ''R. parviflora'' Roxb.) * '' Bruguiera sexangula'' (Lour.) Poir. (as ''R. sexangula'' Lour.) * ''

Ceriops tagal ''Ceriops tagal'', commonly known as spurred mangrove or Indian mangrove, is a mangrove tree species in the family Rhizophoraceae. It is a protected tree in South Africa. The specific epithet ' is a plant name from the Tagalog language. Descrip ...

'' (Perr.) C.B.Rob. (as ''R. tagal'' Perr.)

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q131521 Malpighiales genera Mangroves

Species

Hybrids

Formerly placed here

See also

References

External links