Rhizophora mangle
Red mangroves are the easiest of the mangroves to identify due to their “walking legs” root systems. Note the bean-pod-like “roots” at their bases: these are miniature mangroves spawning, fully formed plants waiting to float off with the next high tide. Red mangroves often have a coating of salt on their leaves, as they naturally extract salt from seawater. They are very salt-tolerant, likely to be right on the water’s edge, and bloom with pale yellow flowers in spring.
The northernmost extent of red mangroves on the Atlantic Coast is at Smyrna Dunes Park.
