Family: Rhizophoraceae
Scientific name: Rhizophora mangle
Common name: Red mangrove
Origin: Caribbean
The red mangrove originates from the Caribbean, but nowadays it can be found in many tropical coastal areas. There it grows mainly near river delta's, where the water is brackish and the soil contains many nutrients. Mangrove forests are used by the offspring of many different fish and other animals. Since the root system of the mangrove, which forms a system of air roots in and above the water, makes many hiding spots for the younglings. On top of that the forests protect the coast and filter the water, which makes them essential in the lager ecosystem. The seeds are viviparous (life bearing), which means the seeds have to germinate when still attacked to the plant. The seeds are dispersed by the water and can grow into a plant when a suitable growing place has been reached. The mangrove can withstand salt water, but this is not needed for growth. This makes the plant easy to keep as an aquarium or terrarium plant, but also grows well in a glass vase. Water temperature should be around 20-30 degrees Celsius and for the substrate a mix of sand and pond soil can be used.
Sowing description: Sow the wider side of the seed down into the soil and let the water reach till around half the seed, don't let the leaves grow in the water. Place in a sunny and light spot.
Sowing time: Whole year
Difficulty: Easy
Minimum temperature: 15 degrees Celsius
Foto 1: Wan Hong via Flickr
Foto 2: Tau Olunga (CCA-3.0 Wikipedia)
Foto 3: UrbanSage via forum
