Lythraceae FAMILY Least Concern

Sonneratia alba

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Sonneratia alba is an evergreen tree with a broad, spreading, rather lax crown; it can grow from 3 - 15 metres tall with occasional specimens to 30 metres. The tree is surrounded by thick, blunt pneumatophores (vertical roots arising from shallow, horizontal roots) - these can vary in size from 30 - 100cm tall[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ]. The tree is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a source of fuel, edible fruit, tannins and a cork substitute. It plays an important role in mangrove communities, helping to bind the soil and to shelter and protect the land behind from erosion. This species is common through most of its range, but there are increasing threats to mangrove swamps in general, mainly from human activities. Consequently, the tree has been classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2010)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeCoastal areas from eastern Africa, through the Indian Ocean and tropical Asia to northern Australia and the Pacific to Vanuatu and the Solomon Isles.

HabitatShallow parts of calm seas and seashores, tidal creeks[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ]. Prefers salt water and grows as well on a sandy or rocky as on a muddy soil, not rarely on coral-terraces[ 451 Title Flora Malesiana Series 1 Publication Author Various Website http://www.archive.org Publisher Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch Year 0 ISBN Description A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet ]. Requires a tidal range of at least one metre[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].