Red mangrove.

At a glance

Care level

Difficult

Plant type

Evergreen tree

Light

Full sun

Indoor light

Direct sun

Water

Every day

Mature size

25 to 80 feet

Growth rate

Medium

Hardiness

USDA 10 to 12

Bloom time

Throughout the year

Care

Keep the roots submerged in a brackish water solution to ensure the tree stays hydrated and healthy. Watch for yellowing leaves, which often indicate a need for higher salinity or nutrient adjustments. Ensure the environment stays warm and humid to mimic its native tropical habitat.

Watering

The root system must remain constantly submerged in brackish water.

Feeding

Use a balanced aquatic plant fertilizer during the active growing season.

Pruning

Trim back dead or crossing branches once a year to maintain shape.

Repotting

Move to a larger container only when the root system becomes severely crowded.

Soil

Peaty or sandy saline mud

Soil pH

6.0 to 8.0

Temperature

15 to 35°C

Humidity

70 to 100%

Safety

People

The bark and leaves contain high levels of tannins which can be irritating if ingested in large quantities.

Children

The sharp, woody propagules can be a puncture hazard if stepped on or handled roughly.

Contact allergens

The sap can cause mild skin irritation in sensitive individuals.

Airborne allergens

Pollen may trigger mild allergic reactions in sensitive individuals during peak flowering.

Edibility

The plant is not considered edible and contains tannins that may cause digestive distress.

How to identify it

• Arching stilt like prop roots
• Leathery dark green elliptical leaves
• Small yellow four petaled flowers
• Pencil shaped propagules hanging from branches

Height

3 to 25m

Spread

2 to 15m

Leaves

dark green, leathery, evergreen

Flowers

pale yellow, white, 1 to 2cm

Fruit

brown, Year round

Problems to watch for

• Scale InsectsCommon
• Root RotUncommon

Growing it

Propagation

seed

When to plant

spring, summer, autumn, winter

Plant in groups to mimic natural mangrove thickets for better stability and habitat creation.

Grows well with

• Black Mangrove · They naturally coexist in mangrove forest zones.
• White Mangrove · This species occupies similar coastal niches.

Similar species

• Black Mangrove · Shares the same habitat but uses pneumatophores instead of prop roots.
• White Mangrove · Often found growing slightly further inland in the same ecosystem.

Science

Family

Rhizophoraceae

Genus

Rhizophora

Order

Malpighiales

Class

Magnoliopsida

Native range

Tropical and subtropical coasts of the Americas and West Africa.

Conservation

While widespread, mangrove habitats are protected in many regions due to their critical role in coastal ecosystems.

It survives by excluding most salt at the root level and storing excess salt in older leaves, which it later sheds.

Value to wildlife

nursery for fish, shoreline stabilization, bird nesting site

Pollinators

bees, butterflies

Uses

coastal protection, habitat restoration, aquarium filtration

Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.

Questions people ask

Can I grow this in a regular garden?

No, it requires a specialized brackish or saltwater environment to survive.

How do I propagate it?

Simply place the mature, cigar shaped propagule in a container of water until roots appear.

Where the name comes from

The name Rhizophora comes from the Greek words for root and bearing, referring to its iconic prop roots.

Good to know

• Red mangroves are viviparous, meaning their seeds germinate while still attached to the parent tree.
• They can tolerate high salinity levels that would kill most other plants.
• The tangled root systems provide essential protection for juvenile reef fish.
• They are primary colonizers of new coastal land.