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