264 DICTION A.RY OF POPULAR NAMES IMANILLA 



trees, namely FJiizopliora and Avicennia. 1. Rhizopliora, the 

 type of the Mangrove family (Ehizophoracese) ; consists of 

 about 20 species, all being natives within or near the tropics, 

 where they form impenetrable barriers for hundreds of miles 

 alons^ the mud- shores of low coasts, risinc? to a height of 15 

 feet or more, and throwing out numerous roots from the lower 

 part of the stem. They also send down long slender roots from 

 the branches, something like the banyan tree of India. The 

 Mangrove is perhaps most remarkable from the fact of its seeds 

 germinating in the fruit while yet hanging from the branch, and 

 producing a radicle or root sometimes more than 3 or 4 feet long, 

 and ultimately falling into the mud and forming a new centre. 

 By this means they extend their domain seawards, their roots 

 and branches interlacing in every direction. Oysters and other 

 shell -fish attach themselves to these plants, so verifying to a 

 certain extent the assertion that oysters grew on trees. The 

 Mangrove has no special virtues, except that the bark is some- 

 times used for tanning and dyeing. The exhalations from Man- 

 grove swamps are of a most unhealthy nature, causing malaria and 

 fever. The tj^^ical species of the family is Uliizoj^liova Mangle. 

 2. Avicennia tonientosa, a shrub of the Verbena family 

 (Verbenaceae). Like the preceding, it occupies large tracts of the 

 sea-shores in tropical countries, and extends south to New 

 Zealand and Tasmania. It is, like the true ]\Iangrove, remarkable 

 for extending its domains seawards by strong roots, which rise 

 out of the mud in an arched, entangled manner, again entering 

 the mud and sending up asparagus-like shoots, forming extensive, 

 impenetrable coast jungles. On the American coasts, these 

 jungles are the resort and home of alligators. It has opposite, 

 entire, oblong leaves, 2 to 3 inches in length, with a white down 

 on the under surface, which has caused it to be called the White 

 Mangrove. 



Manilla Tamarind. {See Algaroba.) 



Manna, a sweet substance produced by different plants, 

 the most important being the Manna Ash {Fraxinus Ornus), a 

 tree attaining a height of 30 to 40 feet, common in Southern 



