Rhizophora Mangle

This plant is known as the mangrove, possibly

because no man can live in the swampy groves that are covered with

it in tropical countries. The seeds germinate, or form roots

before they quit the parent tree, and drop into the mud as young

trees. The old plants send out aerial roots into the water, upon

which the mollusca adhere, and as the tide recedes they are seen

clinging to the shoots, verifying the statements of old travelers

that they had seen oysters growing on trees. All parts of this

tree contain tannin. The bark yields dyes, and in the West Indies

the leaves are used for poulticing wounds. The fruit is edible; a

coarse, brittle salt is extracted from the roots, and in the

Philippines the bark is used as a febrifuge.