Species Overview

Native to: Asia, Australia

This Asian mangrove escaped from cultivation at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. It was not known to be invasive in the late 1960s when it was planted in three of the garden’s lowland plots in Miami, but in 2008, biologists noticed that the trees had spread extensively throughout approximately 20 acres. The original planted trees were immediately removed, but the battle to find and remove the tens of thousands of trees and seedlings they produced continues. The trees and seedlings went unnoticed for decades, in part because Lumnitzera looks very similar to the native white mangrove, Laguncularia racemosa. The most noticeable differences between the two are that Lumnitzera has alternate leaves while the white mangrove has opposite leaves, and Lumnitzera leaves lack a true petiole (the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem) and the leaf margin tapers gradually to the stem. The infestation has not yet been documented to occur beyond the immediate vicinity of the botanic garden and neighboring Matheson Hammock County Park.  Unlike the native black, white, and red mangrove species, Lumnitzera fruits are not viviparous (seedling development does not begin while the fruit is still attached to the tree). This characteristic may contribute to its capacity to form a seed bank. Eradication efforts are ongoing for this species. 

Species Characteristics

Family: Combretaceae

Habit: Evergreen, erect and much-branched tree up to 10 m tall. Above-ground breathing roots normally absent but small looping lateral roots may develop in moist environments

Leaves: simple, alternate, 3-7 cm long and 2-3 cm wide, succulent, obovate in shape with an indent in the tip, leaf margin is slightly wavy

Flowers: small, erect with green tube-like calyx, divided into five lobes at the tip, petals five, white, stamens ten, arranged in two whorls

Fruit: vase-shaped, 1 to 2 cm long, yellowish green, glossy, corky

Seeds: single seed in each fruit, oblong ovoid

Distribution in Florida: Miami-Dade County

Impacts

Due to its aggressive nature, this plant has the potential to alter Florida’s mangrove systems which provide critical habitat for a wide variety of marine life and contribute to the overall health of the state's southern coastal zones. Additionally, Florida's important recreational and commercial fisheries would drastically decline without healthy mangrove forests.

Any suspected sightings should be report to EDDMapS.

Hand pull seedlings.

Due to the sensitive nature of the habitats this plant infests, mechanical management options are very limited.

none known.

Due to the sensitive nature of the habitats this plant infests, professionals should be consulted before chemical management is implemented.