Trees & Plants

Stilted mangrove

Randhoo

Rhizophora mucronata Lam.

Rare. Observed in northern and southern atolls. Wood and stilt roots are used for constructing traditional houses. The wood is also used for making fish traps, house frames, piling, poles and good charcoal. Leaves are poulticed onto armoured to fish injuries. Hypocotyle is edible

Details

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uses: Wood and stilt roots are used for constructing traditional houses. The wood is also used for making fish traps, house frames, piling, poles and good charcoal. Leaves are poulticed onto armoured to fish injuries. Hypocotyle is edible after or processing and cooking. Note: This front line mangrove species grows well in high saline and semi-sandy areas and can be considered as a suitable species for shoreline restoration.
family: Rhizophoraceae
synonym: Rhizophora candelaria Wight & Arm. ×
description: Small trees; trunk and lower branches supported by numerous profusely looping stilt-roots and prop roots, lenticellate. Leaves simple, opposite decussate, 10-15 × 5-9 cm, stipulate, elliptic-ovate, green above, pale beneath with numerous black is dots; stipules 2, interpetiolar, overlapping the apical bud. Flowers yellowish-white, to fi 2.5 cm across, in axillary dichotomously or trichotomously branched or unbranched 2-4 flowered cymes. Calyx yellowish-white, lobes 4, thick. Petals 4, white, lanceolate, densely white hairy along the margins, uniseriate. Stamens 8, free. Fruit to 7 cm long, ovoid, pericarp brown; seed one, hypocotyle to 50 × 1.8 cm, cylindric, tapering towards the radicle end, surface rough warty.
native range: Asia-Pacific region
distribution: Paleotropics
english names: Stilted mangrove · Loop-root mangrove · Red mangrove · Asiatic mangrove.
flowering fruiting: April - October
occurrence maldives: Rare. Observed in northern and southern atolls.