{"slug":"rhizophora-mangle","scientific_name":"Rhizophora mangle","common_names":["Red mangrove","American mangrove","Mangle rojo","Mangue-vermelho"],"family":"Rhizophoraceae","type":"broadleaf_evergreen","mature_height_m":12,"mature_spread_m":8,"growth_rate":"slow","lifespan_years":null,"hardiness_zones":null,"sun":"full","water":"high","soil":"Tidal mud and sand flooded by salt or brackish water (0 to 90 ppt), pH 5.3-8.5","native_range":"Native to Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Americas from Florida, Bermuda and the Bahamas through the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America to Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and the Galápagos, and to the Atlantic coast of Africa from Senegal to Angola.","description":"The seaward mangrove of the Americas, a tree of 5 to 20 m standing on arching red prop roots in the water, with leathery leaves and cigar-shaped propagules that drop and float to new mud. Red mangroves protect coasts from storms, nurse fish and shellfish, trap sediment and lock away carbon, and are the mainstay of mangrove restoration from Florida and Mexico to Brazil and the Caribbean. Introduced to Molokaʻi in 1902 to stabilise mudflats, it is now a High Risk invader of Hawaiian wetlands.","care":"Plant propagules into the lowest intertidal mud in full sun during the warm season; nothing else is needed, but survival depends on getting the tidal level right. Growth is slow. Sub-freezing temperatures kill it, limiting it to below about 28 degrees latitude. Mangroves are protected by law in Florida and most countries; check permits before trimming or planting. Do not plant in Hawaii or other places where it is not native.","benefits":["erosion_control","salt_tolerant","flood_tolerant","carbon","wildlife","birds","storm_resistant"],"uses":["riparian","reforestation"],"cautions":["invasive_elsewhere"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Rhizophora_mangle00.jpg","image_credit":"Wikimedia Commons, file Rhizophora_mangle00.jpg (see file page for author and licence)","sources":["http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/speciesname/Rhizophora+mangle","https://plantpono.org/hpwra/rhizophora-mangle/","https://myfwc.com/research/habitat/coastal-wetlands/information/mangroves/","https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/rhizophora-mangle","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/rhizophora-mangle.md","regions":[{"country":"AO","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"},{"country":"BR","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"},{"country":"BZ","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"},{"country":"CO","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"},{"country":"CR","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"},{"country":"CU","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"},{"country":"EC","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"},{"country":"MX","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"},{"country":"NG","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"},{"country":"PA","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"},{"country":"SN","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"},{"country":"US","region":"FL","locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Mangroves are protected by Florida law; found south of Cedar Key and St Augustine","source_url":"https://myfwc.com/research/habitat/coastal-wetlands/information/mangroves/"},{"country":"US","region":"TX","locality":null,"status":"adapted","note":"Introduced per WCVP","source_url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/3086528"},{"country":"US","region":"HI","locality":null,"status":"invasive","note":"Introduced in 1902 on Molokaʻi; HPWRA score 13, High Risk; naturalised on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui and Hawaiʻi; eradication at Nuʻupia Ponds","source_url":"https://plantpono.org/hpwra/rhizophora-mangle/"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}