THE MANGROVE 



THE conquest of the sea over the land may be observed all along our northern 

 shores, but the conquest of the land over the sea is best seen along the southern 

 coast, where the Mangrove is the chief agent in the forward movement. In 

 Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, as well as in the Bermudas, Bahamas, and West Indies, 

 one may see this strange tree holding the land already won and ceaselessly reaching out 

 for new acquisitions. The low shrub-like growth seems level and monotonous and is such 

 a tangle of foliage, branches, trunks and descending roots that one needs to analyze the 

 scene with careful scrutiny before each part stands out and reveals the method of the 

 conquest. Making such an analysis, one is likely first to see the curious descending roots 

 coming from the horizontal branches: these are of varying lengths some just starting, 

 some reaching half way to the water or ground below, and some having their tips firmly 

 imbedded below the surface. These descending roots resemble those of the famous Banyan- 

 tree and form a chief method by which the Mangrove is able to march seaward. They 

 give to the thicket a multitude of trunks which bind the plants firmly together, making 

 an indissoluble colony that can withstand attack by wind and waves. Among the roots 

 and branches the flotsam and jetsam from the sea, and the wind- and water-carried debris 

 from the land finds secure lodgement, and in this material the multitudinous forms of 

 shore-life seek shelter and help to build up a permanent barrier of soil. 



One of the most interesting things about the Mangrove is its curious fruit, two 

 of which are shown on the upper part of the plate still attached to the twig. These fruits 

 germinate on the tree, the sickle-like projections in the picture being the caulicles thus 

 sent out. These grow to a length of a foot or less, when they break off and drop to the 

 water below. When they come to rest on shore they send out roots from the lower end 

 and push up leaves from the upper end and thus start a new tree. 



Farther inland single Mangroves sometimes assume such a tree-form as is shown 

 on the plate. In such situations the descending branches are likely to be less marked, 

 the tree responding to the conditions of its environment in the way so wonderfully shown 

 in many forms of plant life. 



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