MANGROVE. 



187 



the water and penetrate into the earth. Thus the 

 whole has the appearance of a number of arcades 

 from five to ten feet high, which serve to support the 

 body of the tree. These branches are so closely en- 

 twined with each other that they form a kind of natural 

 terrace. We may add Dampier's description of this 

 curious tree, which (as usual with that extraordinary 

 writer) is concise, spirited, and picturesque. 



Mangrove Rhizophora Mangle. 

 [With the seeds germinating on the branches.] 



