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Mangrove family
Rhizophoraceae
ヒルギ科
A representative family forming coastal mangrove forests in tropical and subtropical regions. In Japan, Kandelia obovata and Rhizophora stylosa grow in Okinawa and elsewhere. Known for viviparous seeds (germinating while still attached to the parent tree, with the hypocotyl elongating before dispersal).
Key Characteristics
- ●Viviparous seeds (seeds germinate and hypocotyls elongate while still on the parent tree)
- ●Aerial roots (prop roots or knee roots) are well-developed
- ●Leaves are opposite, thick, and coriaceous
- ●Salt tolerance through salt excretion or salt accumulation
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Opposite / Whorled
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Dentate / Entire / Crenate
Growth form
Shrub / Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Present
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
6 petals / Many
Petal fusion
Free / Fused
Ovary position
Superior / Inferior / Half-inferior
Stamen count
3-4
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Celastrales > Rhizophoraceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (about 50–40 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Evolution of viviparous seeds as a coastal adaptation
- ・Evolution of mangrove ecosystem formation and maintenance functions
Plants in Mangrove family on this site
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