Mangrove
Mangrove, a tropical evergreen tree or shrub. The mangrove grows along the seashore and the edges of tidal marshes and rivers. The mangrove has numerous prop roots, which grow from the side of the trunk and into mud below the water; prop roots help anchor the mangrove. Portions of the prop roots obtain oxygen (for respiration) from the air. Prop roots form tangled masses that trap silt; the silt forms new land in which other vegetation takes root. An area where mangroves grow is called a mangrove swamp.
The mangrove seldom grows more than 40 feet (12 m) tall, but may reach 80 feet (24 m). It has thick, scarred branches and oval, leathery leaves. The mangrove has small four-petaled, yellow flowers and small cone-shaped, reddish-brown fruits.
A commercially important species is the red mangrove, which grows from southern Florida to South America, and in East Africa and Indonesia. The red mangrove supplies much of the tannin used for tanning leather. The wood is used in construction and for charcoal and fuel, particularly in Southeast Asia.
The red mangrove is Rhizophora mangle of the mangrove family, Rhizophoraceae.