Avicennia alba

Bl.

White mangrove

Acanthaceae Edible: Fruit 323 iNaturalist observations

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iNaturalist· cc-by-sa

Summary

Avicennia alba is a species of tropical mangrove in the family Acanthaceae. It is found growing in coastal and estuarine locations in India, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Oceania.

Description

A small or medium sized tree. It grows up to 20-25 m in height and has a trunk which is 60 cm across. The bark is dark brown. It can have short cracks along it. The trunk has many branches from low down. The twigs have a white covering at first but then become smooth and shiny. There are many aerial roots. The leaves are simple and produced opposite each other. The leaf blade is long and sword shaped. It has a tip at the end and is wedge shaped near the base. The upper surface of the leaves is pale green while the lower surface is silvery hairy. The side veins are easy to see. The leaves can be 3-16 cm long and 1.5-5 cm wide. (The flowers are in 3 branched arrangements with a flower on each stalk.) There can be 10-30 flowers opposite each other. The flower stalks are 1-3 cm long. The fruit is a greenish-yellow pear shaped capsule. Seeds germinate before the fruit falls. The fruit are edible.

Edible Uses

The greenish-yellow pear-shaped fruit are eaten fresh.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

A. alba is a fast-growing species and is sometimes planted, along with Sonneratia and Rhizophora, to help prevent coastal erosion. The timber from A. alba does not make good firewood or charcoal, but is used in the smoking of rubber and of fish. An extract of the heartwood is used in herbal medicine to make a tonic, and the resin has been used in birth control. The seeds are boiled and eaten as a vegetable and are sometimes available in local markets.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in mangrove regions along the coast in tropical countries in Asia and the Pacific. It demands light, so is often one of the first mangrove species to grow in a new area. It tends to be at the outer edge of mangrove forests. It is often along tidal river banks. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Vietnam,

Cultivation

It grows naturally from the many fruit it produces. Plants can be grown from seed.

Propagation

Seed - there is no dormancy, but the seeds are normally sown with the fruit cover removed, because it is highly susceptible to fungus attack. Fresh seeds often have very high germination, typically more than 95%. Seed that has imbibed moisture will usually have radicle formation within 3 days from sowing. Division of root suckers.

Other Uses

A resin is obtained from the tree. It is used medically. The wood is moderately hard. It has an all-round use, e.g. As construction, poles, posts, furniture, boat building and for decorative purposes. It is considered a poor firewood, but is occasionally used for charcoall. A natural pioneer species in the wild, it could be useful for trying to re-establish mangroves in coastal areas.

Production

It is fast growing.

Other Information

It is not known if it is used for food in Papua New Guinea. In Papua New Guinea, trees are more common along the north coast.

Notes

There are about 6-8 Avicennia species. The Avicenniacae contains one genus. They are tropical. Also put in the family Avicenniaceae.

Synonyms

Avicennia marina var. alba Vierh.

Also Known As

Api-api hitam, Mam trang, Maricha baen, Sada baen

References (10)

Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 277
Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 210
Forest Inventory and Planning Institute, 1996, Vietnam Forest Trees. Agriculture Publishing House p 735
French, B.R., 2010, Food Plants of Solomon Islands. A Compendium. Food Plants International Inc. p 298
Frodin, D.G. & Leach, G.L., 1982, Mangroves of the Port Moresby Region. Biology Department Occasional Paper No 3 Revised edition. Papua New Guinea, p 16

Show all 10 references

Heywood, V.H., Brummitt, R.K., Culham, A., and Seberg, O. 2007, Flowering Plant Families of the World. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. p 53 (Family)
Pasha, M. K. & Uddin, S. B., 2019, Minor Edible Fruits of Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 26(2): 299–313
Percival, M & Womersley, J.S., 1975, Floristics and ecology of the mangrove Vegetation of Papua New Guinea. Botany Bulletin No 8 Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. p 40
Trimanto, & Hapsari L., 2016, Botanical survey in thirteen montane forests of Bawean Island Nature Reserve, East Java Indonesia: Conservation status, bioprospecting and potential tourism. Biodiversitas 17: 832-846.
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew