Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Avicennia marina subsp. australasica

Flowers and leaves. Photographer Don Wood, Batehaven south of Batemans Bay

Seed cases and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, near Adelaide

Trunk and aerial roots. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, near Adelaide

Common name

Grey mangrove

Family

Acanthaceae

Where found

Mud daily covered by tidal water. Coastal.

Notes

Tree or shrub to 9 m tall. Bark smooth and flaky. Branches greyish or silvery with small matted hairs. Leaves opposite each other, 3.5–12 cm long, 10–40 mm wide, leathery, upper surface usually hairless, lower surface greyish or silvery hairy, margins entire, tips usually pointed. Flowers tubular, with 4 lobes, white turning golden-coloured; tube 1–2 mm long; lobes 3–4 mm long, in dense clusters. Flowers most of the year. Seed cases yellow when ripe, the seed germinating before the seed case falls.

Often occurs with Aegiceras corniculatum but does not extend as far upstream and occurs at a less distance inland than that species.

Family was Avicenniaceae.

Rare Vic.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=in&name=Avicennia~marina+subsp.~australasica  (accessed 4 January, 2021)