What is the local name of mangroves in the Philippines?
The Philippines harbour 39 species of true mangroves belonging to the following genera: Acanthus, Camptostemon, Lumnitzera, Excoecaria, Pemphis, Xylocarpus, Aegiceras, Osbornia, Nypa, Aegialitis, Bruguiera, Ceriops, Kandelia, Rhizophora, Scyphiphora, and Sonneratia. The fauna is equally diverse.
Why is it called a red mangrove?
Red Mangroves get their name from the bright red colour of the wood underneath the bark of the tree. Red Mangrove trees can grow up to 30 feet (9 m). In order to grow that big in a soft muddy environment, the Red Mangrove has adapted aerial ‘prop roots’ which help prop up the tree, and give it a spider-like appearance.
What is special about mangrove?
In addition to being a marginal ecosystem, a mangrove is unique in that, as an ecosystem it has various interactions with other ecosystems, both adjoining and remote in space and time. Healthy mangrove ecosystems also have the peculiar ability to immobilize heavy metals.
Where are mangroves found?
They are most often found straddling the equator between 25° North and South latitude. About 42 percent of the world’s mangroves are found in Asia, with 21 percent in Africa, 15 percent in North and Central America, 12 percent in Australia and the islands of Oceania, and 11 percent in South America.
How many mangrove the Philippines?
Out of the world’s more than 70 salt-tolerant mangrove species, around 46 species exist in the Philippines. The mangrove is known as the “rainforest of the sea,” and like the inland rainforest, a mangrove provides both economic and ecological benefits to the coastlines.
What is the current status of mangroves in the Philippines?
From an estimated 500,000 hectares (1.24 million acres) in 1918, the country’s mangrove cover dwindled to 120,000 hectares (297,000 acres) in 1994. After various reforestation and conservation efforts, the Philippines now has around 250,000 hectares (618,000 acres) of mangroves.
Are red mangrove edible?
Red mangroves have edible fruits, but they’re quite bitter apparently. You can dry their leaves to make tea, too. The bark can be used for making natural dyes; they give red, olive, brown, or slate colors depending on the soaking agent used.
Is the red mangrove native to Florida?
In the U.S., red mangroves are native to Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, but they are also present as an exotic species in Hawaii. Red mangroves grow at sea level right along the shore.
How long does a mangrove tree live?
Answer: There is only little knowledge about the age of mangroves. Investigations on Rhizophora mucronata showed that the age can be 100 years plus.
What are the three types of mangroves?
The three species are native to Florida: red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) and White mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa).
Are mangroves native to Philippines?