188 RHIZOPHORACEAE 
long. Leaf blades obovate-elliptic, 55-100 mm long, 
20-34 mm wide, base cuneate, margins often 
involute, apex obtuse to emarginate. Inflorescences 
resinous, 5-10-flowered, pendulous; peduncle 
slender, 10-20 mm long; pedicel 1-2 mm long. 
Sepals lanceolate-ovate, c. 4 mm long, acute. Petals 
oblong, c. 4 mm long, margins cohering via marginal 
hairs, apex with 3 clavate lobes, c. 0.5 mm long. 
Staminal filaments c. 3 mm long; anthers c. 1 mm 
Ceriops 
long. Style c. 3.5 mm long; stigma simple. Fruit 
15-25 mm long, sepals reflexed. Hypocotyl angular, 
150-250 mm long. Flowering: June - Nov; fruiting: 
June - Dec. Fig. 59 
From eastern Africa, India, Malaysia, New Guinea 
to northern Australia. Widespread but uncommon 
along the NT coast and in the DR. Occupies rear 
zones of mangrove communities and appears to 
require some freshwater input. 
RHIZOPHORA L. 
Trees; stilt roots arching, prominent. Stipules lanceolate. Leaves with midrib extending to a caducous 
point. Inflorescences axillary, cymose; bracts and bracteoles at flower base and inflorescence dichotomies. 
Sepals 4, reflexed in fruit. Petals 4, entire. Stamens 4-12; anthers almost sessile, triangular. Ovary half 
inferior; locules 2. Fruit obpyriform. Hypocotyl cylindrical. [Ding Hou, 1960] 
A genus of c. 9 species, 3 in the NT and the DR. 
15 Inflorescences with 3 dichotomies; style >5 mm long; 
underside ofjleafevenly, dotted Semester ressrettsectrrccsnmrerestettorsetttiererseteiictetetsetertttestts R. stylosa 
15 Inflorescences with 1 or 2 dichotomies; style <3 mm long; 
underside‘ofleatinotievenly;dotted ersa-ciysecsetetertetorsrerttreonsssterrecsctgerissteyteesonsftertereess 2 
2. Inflorescences with 1 dichotomy; peduncles <14 mm Ong ......sscsssseseesesssessesesesesesseseeees R. apiculata 
2. Inflorescences with 2 dichotomies; peduncles >18 mm long .......cccccesesesesessseseseseseeteeseees R. lamarckii 
R. apiculata Blume 
Tree, columnar, to 15 m; bark dark grey, tessel- 
lated; stilt roots extending to 3 m up stem. Stipules 
40-71 mm long. Petioles 17-35 mm long. Leaf blades 
dark green with distinct light green zone along 
midrib, narrowly elliptic, 93-190 mm long, 37-80 mm 
wide, base attenuate, apex mucronate. /nflorescences 
2-flowered. Flower buds broadly ellipsoidal, finely 
fissured, subtended by 2 fused cup-shaped, fissured, 
bulbous bracteoles. Calyx lobes concave, ovate, 
11-15 mm long, acute. Corolla lobes membranous, 
oblong-lanceolate, 9-10 mm long. Stamens 11-12; 
anthers sessile, 8-10 mm long. Ovary bluntly 
conical, c. 2 mm long; style c. 0.8 mm long, 2-lobed. 
Fruit rough, 30-35 mm long. Hypocotyl clavate, 
180-370 mm long. Flowering: June - Feb; fruiting: 
June - Nov. Fig. 59 
Qld, India and the Pacific; sparsely distributed 
along the NT coast and in the DR. Occupies mid to 
rear zones of mangrove communities with strong 
freshwater influence. 
R. lamarckii Montr. 
Tree, rambling, robust, to 25 m; bark dark grey to 
black, finely tessellated, coarsely friable; stilt roots 
to 6 m up trunk and extending laterally for many 
metres. Stipules 50-70 mm long. Petioles 15-25 mm 
long. Leaf blades elliptic, 81-136 mm long, 39-63 
mm wide, base broadly cuneate, apex with distinct 
mucro to 3 mm long. Inflorescences with 2 branches, 
each dichotomy subtended by 2 fused bracteoles; 
peduncles 18-21 mm long, flattened; pedicels stout, 
to 4 mm long. Flower buds narrowly ovate, 10-12 
mm long, subtended by fused bracteoles. Calyx lobes 
deltoid to broadly lanceolate, 9-14 mm long, acute. 
Corolla lobes lanceolate, c. 10 mm long, margins 
tomentose, acute. Stamen number variable; anthers 
almost sessile, c. 8 mm long. Ovary shallowly 
conical; style c. 2 mm long, terete, 2-4-lobed. 
Flowering: Mar, Apr, June, Aug; fruiting: not observed 
in NT. Fig. 59 
Qld, Sri Lanka, New Guinea, Indonesia and New 
Caledonia; rare in the NT where known from several 
populations, 2 of these in the DR at Adelaide R. 
and Tiwi Islands. Occupies rear zones of mangrove 
communities with a perennial freshwater input. 
Associates in the NT are R. apiculata and R. stylosa. 
Morphological and field evidence from NT supports 
a hybrid origin for this species as postulated by Duke 
& Bunt (1979). 
