| Black
Mangrove |
Ernie
Ostuno |
| Apr
22, 2005 16:36 PDT |
Don,
That one I didn't see mentioned while I was down there, but
there was a
lot of concern about invasives. I know that they do have
volunteer days
where people can slog through the 'glades removing invasive
plants.
One of the things I learned is that Black Mangroves (Avicennia
germinans) secrete salt from the brackish water they grow in
through
their leaves:
http://www.floridaplants.com/horticulture/mangrove.htm
You can collect grains of salt by simply rubbing the leaves
between your
fingers.
They also have things called pneumatophores, that act as
mini-snorkel
tubes to help the submerged roots get oxygen:
http://www.mangrovegarden.org/mangroves.html
Despite their diminutive size, I found the mangroves to be, as
Bob would
say "way cool".
Ernie
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