Conocarpus erectus

Conocarpus erectus ( Combretaceae ), female flowering heads. Ajuruteua Peninsula, Bragança, Pará, Brazil

The button mangrove ( Conocarpus erectus ) is a salt- tolerant crop seeds wing of the tropical coastal areas of West Africa from Senegal to Angola, South and Central Florida, the Caribbean Islands, and the coast of Central and South America. In the Pacific, the southernmost occurrence is Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of Brazil. The species is present in more peripheral areas of mangrove forests and grows outside of the intertidal zone. Saline soils and saline spray, however, be tolerated.

Description

Conocarpus erectus is a dioecious, often multi-stemmed tree or shrub with cracked bark. The button mangrove is no breathing roots. The leaves are lance-shaped and have a rounded or pointed apex; they are arranged spirally. The terminal inflorescence is sparsely branched; the flowers are crowded in capitula -like structures. The vestigial in the male flower ovary is inferior; The five sepals are fused, petals absent. Male flowers with 5-10 stamens, female with 5 staminodes. The fruits are nutlets, which are released upon disintegration of the bowl. The fruits are buoyant.

System

The button mangrove belongs to the genus Conocarpus in the family wing of the seed plants ( Combretaceae ). Except Conocarpus erectus just one more way Conocarpus lancifolius belongs to the genus. Conocarpus lancifolius only occurs in some river valleys in northern Somalia.