Avicennia marina Vierh.

Habit: Stunted trees up to 8-12 m in height with numerous branches.

Roots: Pneumatophores pencil-like, less than 30cm long.

Trunk & bark: Bark flaky, mottled greenish-yellow, and peeling in patches. Leaves: Leaves simple, opposite, petiolate, elliptic-oblong or ovate, apex acute, base tapering, 6-3 x 2 -4 cm, margin entire, glabrous, pale green above, whitish beneath.

Inflorescences or flowers: Inflorescences pedunculate heads. Flowers sessile, small, 2-4 mm long, regular, bisexual, pale-yellow; calyx deeply 5 lobed, tomentose; corolla 4-lobed; stamens 4, short, included; ovary with a short style, stigmas 2.

Fruits: Fruits capsule, ovoid, apiculate, greyish tomentose, compressed, the beak almost obscure in mature fruit.

 Found as monospecific clumps or stands in highly saline muddy sand. Cryptovivipary.

Germination is epigeal or modified epigeal.

Pollinated by insects and honeybees.

Wood is used as fuel and in the constructions;

bark and roots produce a brown dye;

decomposed leaves constitute fish food, used also to treat upset stomach;

twigs are used as toothbrushes;

flowers are used to make perfume, they also attract bees, producing sweet honey;

the unripe fruit is used to treat sores and skin lesions by smallpox.