Laguncularia racemosa
Syn. Conocarpus racemosus

English names: White mangrove, white manglier, white mangle, white mangrove
Creole names: Mang blan, mang gri, paltivyé
English names: White mangrove, tomm house mangrove
Spanish names: Mangle blanco, mangle bobo

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FAMILY

COMBRETACEAE

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ETYMOLOGY

The name Laguncularia means "little bottle", in relation to the fruit and Racemosa comes from the Latin racemus, "grape", in relation to its clustered inflorescences, or racemes.

Mangrove comes from the Tupi aparahiba (apara, curve and iba, tree) then appariturier , then pareturier , meaning "lying tree", white in relation to the bark.

 

ORIGIN

Tropical America and West Africa.

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HABITAT

Low and high mangrove.

Altitude: sea level.

 

DESCRIPTION

It can be tree or shrub depending on its coastal location and is found more in the inner part of the mangroves where it can reach 15m high. 

Its drooping foliage is composed of cylindrical reddish-brown and glabrous branches.

At its foot, aeriferous roots (pneumatophores) rise to the surface around the trunk. They are shorter and bulbous than those of the Black Mangrove. 

It is recognizable by its reddish biglandular petioles and its opposite, leathery and rounded leaves, lined with very small glands on both sides. 

The inflorescences are stalked (up to 15cm). The flowers are small and white. 

The fruits look like small gourds, pale green, almost oval and velvety.

Fruiting extends throughout the year.

Flowering takes place from January to July.

Pollination is carried out by the wind.

The white mangrove is a pantropical species .

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NEEDS 

This shrub can withstand periods of flooding and periods of drought.
It likes draining substrates.
Exposure: Full sun.
Hardiness: USDA 10 and 11.

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MULTIPLICATION 

Rooted seeds and cuttings
The most important factor for the survival of cuttings is that they form roots before they are taken from the mother tree. Under natural conditions, root formation often occurs after flooding. Rooted cuttings can even be planted in salt water. They begin to flower throughout the year.
For sowing, you can simply put the seeds in a plastic bag, once germinated, transplant them into a draining substrate.

 

CULTURE AND MAINTENANCE

It is advisable to sow the seeds in water. Once germinated, place on a draining substrate in a bowl of water, full sun. It likes heat and humidity.

The white mangrove tolerates temporary flooding, but not submerged all year round. It can live in a saline environment because it absorbs salt and rejects it through small glands at the base of its leaves.

USES
 

MEDICINAL USE
Any.

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ORNAMENTAL USE

Very nice indoor plant. Can be planted as an isolated subject, in a rocky bed or in a vivarium.

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FOOD USE
Any.

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OTHER USES

Tannin, brown dye, firewood.

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ANECDOTES

The bark is said to be a treat for fishing nets.
The sap is used in combination with agar-agar as an inexpensive substrate for in vitro cultures of fungi.

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Adaptation strategies of the White Mangrove

Able to grow in the salty areas of the mangroves, the white mangrove extends a radial network of root-cables in the superficial part of the mud. Like a carpet, this root tangle provides solid anchoring to the mangrove tree, reinforced by the growth of anchor roots.
Aerial roots, the pneumatophores, develop on this network. They rise above the surface of the ground and develop more or less in the open air. Those of the White Mangrove are short and swollen at the top. They have lenticels through which gas exchange takes place.
They also have a specialized tissue, the aerenchyma, which is able to store air inside these pneumatophores thanks to gaps.
The two glands on the petiole are salt excretory glands.

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SOURCES

- Illustrated flora of the phanerogams of Guadeloupe and Martinique - T1 P233 - CIRAD - Gondwana editions

- Plants, habitats and landscapes of the French West Indies  - Claude Sastre and Anne Breuil - Parthénope collection - P78
- Discovering the mangroves and the swamp forest of the West Indies - PLB editions - P28
- https://www.prota4u.org/database/protav8.asp?fr=1&g=pe&p=Laguncularia+racemosa+(L.)+CFGaertn.
- http://jardin.98905.com/plants-flowers-herbs/specialty-gardens/1007027010.html
- https://initiative-mangroves-ffem.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DOSSIER-MANGROVES-CALAMEO.pdf