Laguncularia racemosa aka White Mangrove

Laguncularia racemosa belongs to the Combretaceae family. This evergreen has the common name white buttonwood. It comes from tropical and subtropical parts of the Americas. Its native range also spans western tropical Africa to Angola. It grows on coasts, near the inland edge of mangroves. It also takes root on disturbed ground. There, it sometimes forms stands with no other trees.

It ranges from a small shrub to a tree. Shrubs may stay below 10 feet [3 metres]. Listed tree heights reach about 49–50 feet [15–15.2 metres]. Larger trees can reach 82 feet [25 metres]. It may have several trunks and a rounded, uneven crown. The trunk often bends, and low branches can spread far. It may form dense thickets. Aerial roots can grow when floods cover the ground. Gray bark has narrow, flat, scaly ridges that cross. The grooves between them are reddish brown.

The thick, oval leaves grow in opposite pairs. Both sides are yellow-green. The leaves stay on all year. Reddish leaf stalks have salt glands near each blade's base. Twigs are light reddish brown. Their buds have no scales. Small, pale-green flowers grow on thin spikes from leaf axils. These are the points where leaves join stems. Bees visit the flowers. Bloom can start around age two and occur year-round. The fruit has a little flesh and holds one seed. It turns brown when ripe. Young fruits are green and have ribs. They grow in branched groups.

This coastal plant grows fast and does best in full sun. It also copes with light shade and high soil salt levels. It can grow in sand, silt, clay, peat, and marl. It prefers soil pH between 5.5 and 7. Daytime temperatures of 20–30°C suit it best. Its reported range of tolerance is 10°C to 38°C. Seedlings can reach 2–3 feet [0.6–0.9 metres] in one nursery year. New plants can grow from seed or rooted cuttings. Rooted shoots help restore mangrove forests. Large seed crops can yield dense groups of seedlings. Most die in their first year.

People gather the fruit for food. They also use other parts gathered from the wild. People have used bark preparations for fever, mouth sores, and dysentery. These are folk uses, not proof that treatments work. Bark and leaves yield tannin and brown dye. People also use bark to help preserve fishing nets. The bark gives off gum when damaged. The source reports no known hazards. It does not assess safety for pets.