Mangroves in the Northern Territory - Department of Land Resource ...

Lumnitzera racemosa (Black mangrove)
Plate 35: Stunted growth form of Lumnitzera racemosa
(Black mangrove) and close up of bark
Northern Territory Mangrove Education Kit
This shrub or tree can reach 5 metres
in height, however in substandard
conditions, such as those found in
salt pans, Lumnitzera may remain
under 1 metre (Plate 35) (Wightman
1983). The bark of the black
mangrove is often very dark - hence
its name. These trees are generally
found towards the landward edge of
mangrove areas (Brock 1988).
The leaves of Lumnitzera are one of the best
ways to identify this species. Each leaf has an
indentation at its tip which forms a heart shape.
If you look carefully a small gland can be seen
at the base of the indentation (Brock 1988).
Lumnitzera racemosa flowers between October
and May. The flowers are small, white and
usually occur in groups. The fruit of the
Lumnitzera are small, smooth lobes (Brock
1988).
Aboriginal people choose to use Lumnitzera
timber for fire wood because it is slow burning
and maintains hot coals (Brock 1988).
Plate 36: Heart shaped leaves of Lumnitzera racemosa (Black mangrove)
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