Avicennia marina Vierh.

Classification
Kingdom Plantae
Phylum  Tracheophyta
Class Magnoliopsida
Order Lamiales
Family Acanthaceae

Synonyms:
Avicennia alba var. latifolia Moldenke
Avicennia balanophora Stapf & Moldenke ex Moldenke
Avicennia mindanaense Elmer
Avicennia sphaerocarpa Stapf
Avicennia sphaerocarpa Stapf ex Ridl.
Avicennia tomentosa var. arabica Walp.

Botanical  Description:

Habitat :Found on riverbanks, mouth of rivers, lagoons, rocky beaches and lower tidal areas. Avicennia spp. are usually pioneer species in newly formed mangrove forests.

Small to medium-sized tree (3-11 m), main trunk straight, up to 76 cm in diameter, with much branched, rounded crown.

Bark: pale yellowish green, with raised dots, flaking.
 

Root: extensive lateral root system stretching just below the soil surface with pencil-like breathing roots, also known as pneumatophores, sticking vertically out of the muddy ground to take in oxygen. Pneumatophores may grow up to a height of 15 - 20 cm.

Leaves: opposite, 30-100 x 12-40 mm, thick, leathery, shiny olive green above, with dense grey hairs beneath, margin entire with sharply or bluntly pointed tip, base narrowing, petiole short (5 mm long).

Flowers: Small, regular, orange to dark orange flowers measuring 5 - 8 mm, waxy surface, terminal flower clusters usually have about 2 - 12 flowers. Corolla has 4 equal lobes, ovary has a short style and a median ring of hairs that do not conceal the stigma.

Fruits: Light green in colour, ovoid in shape with a broad base and sharp apical beak, measuring about 2 cm across.
Seed: developing on the tree, fruit usually splitting after falling; water-dispersed.

Uses:
Useful for stabilizing banks of estuaries in salty water. The hard, yellow-brown wood is used for making the ribs of dhows (traditional Arab sailing vessel). Bark yields a brown dye. Leaves are used for camel fodder around the Red Sea. Branches are lopped and fed to cattle in India and Australia.