Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve — Plants
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Black Mangrove, a species of Mangrove
Common Names: Mangrove, Pencil roots, hemp, Jinn’s tongue, and Devil’s tongue
Botanical Name: Avicennia germinans
Description: Black mangrove is a small shrub that produces fruit from its seeds. They possess aerial roots that allow their roots to breathe even when submerged and it is an important plant for ecosystems near shorelines, providing a nursery area for fish and wildlife. The name "black mangrove" refers to the color of the trunk and wood. The leaves can appear white from the salt excreted at night. The black mangrove grows just above the high tide in coastal lagoons and brackish-water estuaries. It is less tolerant of highly saline conditions than certain other species that occur in mangrove ecosystems.
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Lamiales
Family: Acanthaceae
Genus: Avicennia
Species: A. germinans
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Red Mangrove, a species of True mangroves
Common Names: American mangrove, True mangrove, mangrove
Botanical Name: Rhizophora mangle
Description: Red mangroves thrive in brackish water and salt marsh swamps. They can grow to 30 feet tall. Red mangroves are often found near white mangroves, black mangroves, and buttonwood. They create a community for other plants and animals such as mangrove crabs, birds and fish. Though rooted in soil, mangrove roots are often submerged in water for several hours or on a permanent basis. The roots are usually sunk in a sand or clay base, which allows for some protection from waves.
Red mangroves are easily distinguishable with roots that suspend it over the water, giving it extra support and protection and combat hypoxia since the root structures directly intake oxygen. Resembling an elongated seed pod, the fully grown buds on mangroves is capable of rooting and producing a new tree. The trees are hermaphrodites and are capable of self or wind pollination. A mangrove bud may float in brackish water for over a year before rooting.
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Rhizophoraceae
Genus: Rhizophora
Species: R. mangle
Button mangrove, a species of Mangrove
Common Names: White mangrove, Green buttonwood, Buttonbush, Button-tree, Buttonwood
Botanical Name: Conocarpus erectus
Description: Button mangrove is a tropical evergreen that grows in coastal regions and flood zones. It is generally found growing in brackish water in tidal lagoons and bays. They are multi-stemmed with a gnarled appearance at maturity – craggy bark and thick, twisted stems that resemble oak trees. They are not technically a mangrove, but closely associated. Mangroves have seeds which actually germinate on the parent plant before floating off to root in a new land; buttonwood seed is first dispersed and then germinates later, like most plants .Mangroves are salt tolerant and the button mangrove ejects salt through two red notches located at the base of the leaf. When it rains, the salt is washed away from the plant and the process just continues as long as the tree is living and healthy.
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Myrcianthes
Species: C. erectus
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Knicker nut, a species of Nicker
Common Names: Yellow nickers, Grey nicker, Nicker bean, Fever nut
Botanical Name: Guilandina bonduc
Description:Nickernuts grow near the coast, in scrub, on sand dunes and on the upper shore.
They also occur inland, and this may be the result of the seed being accidentally dropped after being transported. When washed up on the shore, they are sometimes known as sea pearls. They grow as a climber, up to 30 ft long or as a sprawling shrub or small shrubby tree. The stems are covered with prickles. Fruits are bright green, flat pods that are densely covered in sharp spines. When mature, they turn reddish-brown and split open. Immature seeds are large and bright green. Mature seeds are hard, whitish-gray and buoyant. Nodules on the plant's roots contain symbiotic bacteria that fixes nitrogen. This is used as a nutrient by the vine and also benefits other plants growing in close proximity. This plant has been used in traditional medicine. The seeds have tonic and antipyretic properties and the bark and leaves have been used to lower fevers. An oil extracted from the seeds has been used in cosmetics and for treating discharges from the ear.
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Guilandina
Species: G. bonduc
Saw Palmetto, a species of Serenoa
Common Names: American dwarf palm tree, cabbage palm
Botanical Name: Serenoa repens
Description: Saw palmetto grows wild in natural areas around in Florida and tolerates a range of conditions. It is highly salt-tolerant hence its prevalence along the coast. Saw palmetto is a multi-trunked palm that typically grows 5 to 10 feet tall and spreads 4 to 10 feet wide. It is slow-growing and its stems produce fan-shaped fronds that sag over the ground. Most saw palmettos have green leaves and in the spring, flower stalks appear with small yellow-white, fragrant flowers. These flowers attract bees that, make high-grade saw palmetto honey. The flower blooms are followed by small, yellow berries that turn black and ripen August through October. Saw palmetto is great for wildlife, as the berries are an important food source for many mammals and birds and it is also a host plant for the larvae of the palmetto skipper and monk butterflies. Some people believe that extracts from the berries could be an alternative treatment for prostate cancer, despite statements from the American Cancer Society that say there is no evidence of this. Because of increasing interest in the berries, a harvesting permit is now required to protect and preserve these plants.
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Serenoa
Species: S. repens
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