Red Mangrove

The red mangrove is a salt-tolerant tree found along tropical and subtropical coastlines throughout much of the Americas, West Africa and parts of the Pacific, easily identified by its distinctive tangle of reddish, arching prop roots that extend from the trunk down into the shallow coastal water and mud in which the tree grows. These specialized roots help anchor the tree in soft, unstable sediment while also allowing it to take in oxygen despite growing partly submerged in low-oxygen, waterlogged soil, and the tree further copes with its salty environment by filtering out much of the salt at the root before it enters the plant. Red mangrove forests form a critical coastal habitat, providing nursery grounds for many species of fish, crustaceans and other marine life among their tangled roots, while also helping to stabilize shorelines, buffer coastlines against storm surges and trap sediment that would otherwise wash out to sea. Once widely cleared for coastal development, aquaculture and fuel wood in many parts of the world, red mangrove forests are now recognized as ecologically vital and are the focus of restoration efforts in numerous countries.