Rhizophora harrisonii facts for kids

Rhizophora harrisonii is a type of plant that belongs to the Rhizophoraceae family. You can find this plant in many countries, including Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname, Trinidad, Tobago, and Venezuela.

Experts at Plants of the World Online believe it is a natural hybrid. This means it's a mix of two other plant species: Rhizophora mangle and Rhizophora racemosa. Because it's a hybrid, it's sometimes called Rhizophora x harrisonii.

What Does It Look Like?

This tree can grow quite tall, reaching up to 20 meters (about 65 feet) high. Its leaves are shaped like an oval. They are usually between 11 and 15 centimeters (4-6 inches) long and 4 to 7 centimeters (1.5-2.7 inches) wide. The leaves are smooth and have small black dots on their undersides.

The tree produces many small flowers, about 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) long. These flowers grow in clusters that can be 5 to 12 centimeters (2-5 inches) long. After the flowers, the tree grows oval-shaped fruits. These fruits are about 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) long. Inside the fruit, a long root-like part, called a radicle, can grow up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) long. This radicle helps the new plant start growing.

Where Does It Live?

Rhizophora harrisonii grows naturally in two main areas. One is along the coasts of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean. This includes the Atlantic coast of Africa, from Angola to Senegal. It also grows along the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico coasts of South and Central America. This area stretches from northeastern Brazil all the way to eastern Mexico.

The other main area is in the Tropical Eastern Pacific. Here, you can find it from southern Mexico down to Peru.

This plant is an important part of mangrove forests. Mangroves are special trees and shrubs that grow in salty coastal waters. Rhizophora harrisonii often grows alongside other mangrove species. Some of these include Avicennia tonduzii, Avicennia bicolor, Avicennia germinans, Avicennia schaueriana, Laguncularia racemosa, Pelliciera rhizophorae, and Rhizophora mangle.

How It Got Its Name

The plant Rhizophora harrisonii was first described in 1918. This was done by a person named Alleyne Leechman. The description was published in a scientific paper called Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information Kew 1918 (1): 8, f. A.

What Does Rhizophora Mean?

The first part of the name, Rhizophora, comes from two ancient Greek words. Rhiza means "root," and phoros means "support." This name refers to the special roots of these plants. They often have roots that grow above the ground, looking like stilts that support the tree.

Why harrisonii?

The second part of the name, harrisonii, was given to honor someone important. It is named after Sir John Bunchmore Harrison. He was the director of Science and Agriculture in British Guiana (which is now Guyana).

See also

• In Spanish: Mangle caballero para niños