Red Mangrove
The red mangrove (Rizophora mangle), is the most abundant type of mangrove tree around the United States. It's appearance, with the aerial prop roots which dive down into the water to hold on the the water's floor, give it the classic "mangrove" look. They support a diverse group of organisms, including but not limited to: birds, fish, and crocodiles. The Red Mangrove is now being threatened in its habitats by the invasive Brazilian Pepper Tree, which is taking over much of the land formerly controlled by red mangroves. The viviparous seeds are its defining feature, which become fully developed trees before dropping of their mother plant and floating away to grow somewhere else.
White Mangroves
The white mangrove (Avicennia marina), range in location from the Volusia County to the Levy County and southwards. The white mangroves defining feature is its leaves and root systems. The leaves are rounded at the base, and are smooth underneath. They excrete sugar from the two glands at the base of their leaves, called nectarines, which many insects feed on. Depending on the habitat, some white mangroves have pneumatophores, which are cone-shaped extensions on their root systems that assist the tree in obtaining oxygen. The rest have standard prop roots originating from their trunks and branches.
Black Mangrove
The black mangrove (Bruguiera gymnorhiza) is mainly found in tropical and subtropical climates along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. It thrives in sandy and muddy shores that overlap with seawater. The black mangrove, like other types of mangroves, has viviparous seeds that are incased in a fruit. These mangroves are named for their trunk, which is a dark brown to black most commonly, opposed to the white of their leaves from the salt. It is a very hardy species, being seen all around the world, and observes most of its