Avicennia alba
| Avicennia alba | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Genus: | Avicennia |
| Species: | A. alba |
| Binomial name | |
|
Avicennia alba Blume |
|
Avicennia alba is a species of tropical mangrove in the family Acanthaceae. In the Malay language it is known as api api putih, "api" meaning "fire", referring to the fact that this mangrove attracts fireflies, and "putih" meaning "white", referring to the pale-coloured underside of the leaves. It is found growing in coastal and estuarine locations in India, south east Asia, Australia and Oceania.
Avicennia alba forms a low, dense bushy crown often branching near the base of the trunk. The shrub does not grow more than about 20 metres (66 ft) high. The roots are shallow and send up a large number of pencil-shaped pneumatophores. These aerial roots help with gas exchange and also play an important part in the exclusion of salt from the plant's vascular system. The trunk has smooth, greenish black bark which is finely fissured and does not flake. The dark green leaves, 15 cm (6 in) long and 5 cm (2 in) wide, have a silvery grey underside and grow in opposite pairs. The small, orange yellow flowers, borne in a racemose inflorescence, have 4 petals and a diameter of about 4 millimetres (0.16 in) when expanded. The fruits are greyish-green capsules and conical in shape with an elongated beak up to 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long. Each contains a single seed.
Avicennia alba is found in south and south east Asia, the islands of the south Pacific Ocean and Australia. It is common in the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in Singapore. It grows on tidal regions of riverbanks and on muddy portions of the seashore. It is a pioneering species being one of the first to colonise new ground. Its widespread root system with large numbers of pneumatophores helps to stabilise new deposits of sediment.
Because it is difficult for seedlings to become established in tide-swept muddy habitats, Avicennia alba exhibits cryptovivipary. The embryos start to develop and break through the coat of the seeds before the fruits split open to shed the seeds. In some cases the plant also exhibits vivipary, with the developing shoot breaking through the fruit capsule while it is still growing on the bush. The seedlings have hooked hairs and are often seen growing in tangled groups.
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Wikipedia