Mangrove forests or swamps can be found on low, muddy, tropical coastal areas around the world. Mangroves are woody plants that form the dominant vegetation of mangrove forests. They are characterized by their prop roots, their ability to tolerate regular inundation by salt water, and by precocious (pre-dispersal) germination of their seeds and development of their seedlings. Woody plants sharing these adaptations are all called mangroves although not closely related; the mangroves below belong to Rhizophoraceae, Meliaceae, and Verbenaceae.



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Mangrove understory thick with stems and prop roots.

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Aerial roots called rhizophores or pneumatophores.









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