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Project Noah Nature School
Rhizophora mangle
The Red mangrove is the most salt tolerant of the mangrove species and is usually on the front line of a mangrove lagoon. There are flowers visible in the 3rd picture, note the scattered yellow "Sacrificial Leaves". The arched root system is typical of the Red Mangrove.
Mangrove Lagoon, Cas Cay, Compass Point, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
The scattered yellow leaves are very interesting! The tree has several techniques for eliminating excess salt from it's tissues. One of these techniques is to "select" one leaf out of every 100 or so to become a "Sacrificial Leaf" . Excess salt that reaches the upper part of the plant is passed to these leaves, which then die so that the others can remain healthy.
Spotted on Sep 18, 2012
Submitted on Nov 17, 2012
1 Comment
great pictures..how i wish to see one in natural habitat