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Rhizophora mangle
Red mangroves grow directly in sea water. This trait is welcomed by many juvenile aquatic animals that use this root system as a nursery where they are well protected from predators. This prop root system may support a fifty-foot tree! The red mangroves are unlike all the others in some interesting ways, for example their mode of propagation. They go from flower to seedling while they are actually on the parent tree. Once the seedling is large enough it will fall off the tree into the water where it may stick in the sand or be carried downstream by the water. A unique feature of red mangroves is their land making ability. They act as giant filters to silt run-off from the hills during heavy rains. The root system traps the silt and gradually builds it up to land.
Edge of shoreline, Prickly Pear Island, BVI.
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