It's been a long time since I last experimented with mangrove fruits and seedlings. However, recently I collected some Avicennia germinans fruits for demonstration purposes. The fruit opens within hours (or even minutes) after falling into the water, and the well-developed seedling emerges. The cotyledons and the root/hypocotyl between them unfold (like opening a pocket knife). The root curves toward the substrate and anchors itself. #mangroves #Amazonas #Acanthaceae #seedling #wetlands #botany

Another mangrove tree from the Amazon coast: Avicennia schaueriana Stapf & Leechm. ex Moldenke, the second species of the genus in Brazil. Flowers of A. schaueriana have short stamens + glabrous inner corolla lobes (A. germinans, from last week's toot: long stamens/tiny hairs on the inner corolla lobes). In our area, the leaves of A. schaueriana are always obovate and rounded at the tip. The species is less common here, mainly found near beaches. #Acanthaceae #trees #mangroves #Amazonas #botany

Along the Amazon coast, there is one of the world's greatest continuous mangrove areas. Among the most important trees here is Avicennia germinans (L.) L. (Acanthaceae). Lots to tell about these trees ... leaves with salt-excreting glands, special roots growing upwards to improve aeration, seeds which germinate immediately after the fruit fell from the tree and an astonishing variability in size from tiny to tall. #mangroves #wetlands #Amazonas #Acanthaceae #pneumatophors #trees #flowers #botany