Rhizophora stylosa — Edible Plant Database

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The fruit are edible.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows in mangrove swamps in mud. It can grow in colder climates. It grows on corals and in sandy and stony soils. It can tolerate salt.

Asia, Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Micronesia, Myanmar, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Ryukyu, Samoa, SE Asia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Thailand, Tuvalu, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Micronesia, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Palau, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen

How to Identify

A mangrove. It grows 3-30 m tall. It has many stilt roots and aerial roots. The leaves are opposite and narrowly oval. The flowers occur as 2-14 together in a forking flower arrangement. The fruit are small and brown. They are 3-5 cm long. This sprouts while on the tree. The propagules (seedlings) are 20-60 cm long.

How to Grow

A plant of the moist to wet, coastal tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 34°c, but can tolerate 12 - 44°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 3,000mm, but tolerates 650 - 3,500mm. Grows best in a sunny position. Prefers a fertile, loamy to clayey soil. Tolerant of high levels of salt in the soil. Prefers a pH in the range 6.7 - 7.2, tolerating 6.5 - 7.5.

Other Uses

A red latex obtained from the plant is used as a hair dye and to paint pottery. The wood is hard and durable. It is little used due to its small dimensions. The stilt roots are flexible and were traditionally used for making bows. The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Rhizophora stylosa, the spotted mangrove, red mangrove, small stilted mangrove or stilt-root mangrove, is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree in the family Rhizophoraceae. The specific epithet stylosa is from the Latin meaning 'stylus form', referring to the flower.

Names & Synonyms

Bakau pasir, Red mangrove

Rhizophora mucronata var. stylosa (Griff.) Schimp.

References (6)

Franklin, J., Keppel, G., & Whistler, W., 2008, The vegetation and flora of Lakeba, Nayau and Aiwa Islands, Central Lau Group, Fiji. Micronesica 40(1/2): 169–225, 2008
Jackes, B. R., 2010, Plants of Magnetic Island. 3rd Edition. James Cook University, Australia. p 21
Melzer, R. & Plumb, J., 2011, Plants of Capricornia. Belgamba, Rockhampton. p 289
Thaman, R. R, 2016, The flora of Tuvalu. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 611. Smithsonian Institute p 108
Tiwi Plants and Animals. 2001, Aboriginal flora and fauna knowledge from Bathurst and Melville Islands, northern Australia. Northern Territory Botanical Bulletin; No. 24 p 76
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew