General Landscape Uses:
In coastal areas where protected from wind and boat wake.
Ecological Restoration Notes: A key element of tidal swamps.
Availability:
Native plant nurseries.
Description: Medium tree or sometimes a large shrub with a narrow rounded crown from stout spreading branches. Trunk usually leaning, 10-20 inches in diameter. Bark light brown, thin, roughened. Leaves leathery, fleshy, dark green and shiny above, lighter beneath, 1-3 inches long.
Dimensions: Typically 15-30 feet in height; reported to 60 feet. Usually taller than broad.
Growth Rate: Moderate to fast.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north along the coasts to Volusia and Levy counties; West Indies, Mexico, Central America, South America and western Africa. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the
Exploring Florida website.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.
Map of ZIP codes with habitat recommendations from the Monroe County Keys north to Martin and Charlotte counties.
Habitats: Tidal swamps.
Soils: Wet inundated saline soils.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate to high; grows best with some organic content and may languish in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: High; tolerates flooding by salt water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury.
Drought Tolerance: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Greenish-white.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous. Fragrant. Functionally dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants.
Flowering Season: Mostly spring-summer; peak in spring.
Fruit: Oblong, often ribbed, greenish-brown drupe, 3/4" long. All year; peak late summer.
Wildlife and Ecology: Seeds begin to sprout while the fruit is still attached to the tree; the partially sprouted fruits fall into the water and are dispersed.
Horticultural Notes: Easily grown from seed (propagules).
References: Nelson 2003
Comments: One of the three native mangrove trees in South Florida, it is usually found landward of the other two mangroves, although the three may mix. The bark is harvested for its abundant tannin. See a 2019 post on the
Treasure Coast Natives blog on the interesting properties of roots and leaves on white mangroves.
