THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

California into Baja; introduced successfully
into Del Norte County; hybrids prevalent in
Alameda County.
Habitat: Salt-laden, tidal wetlands in coastal
estuaries, especially partially submerged
channels; tolerates deep submersion (half its
height) for up to half a day (two high tides).
Appearance: Stout, coarse-grained, hollow.
oxygen-filled stalks up to 39 cm in height;
leaves may be 10 mm broad at base; flowers
appear along stalks.
Reproduction and Development: Angiosperm.
Asexual, self-regenerative, reproduction by
cloning year-round along buried runners
(rhizomes); seeds able to germinate but success
rate low.
Mortality/Longevity: Perennial.
Conservation Status: Endangered wherever
marshes are drained for shoreline development.
Threatened by spread of introduced S.
alterniflora, a native of the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic
coastlines which competes and hybridizes
easily with S.foliosa; since S. alterniflora is a
soil accreting agent (S. foliosa is not), its spread
threatens the continued existence of coastal
wetlands.
Remarks: Halophyte. Able to exclude some
salts from sea water as it enters root system;
remaining salts excreted through vegetative
glands; nitrogen fixing nodules on roots.
Keystone species of tidal marshes. Efforts
underway to plant reclaimed wetlands with
taller growing specimens to restore clapper
rail habitat. Few animals equipped to eat
cordgrass; it contributes directly to the health
of the marsh ecosystem as detritus which is
processed by microorganisms that return its
nutrients to the life cycle.
Water Chestnut Tree
Pachira aquatica (Bombacaceae)
Distribution: Tropical America from southern
Mexico to Guyana and northern Brazil.
Habitat: Prefer a site that is flooded much of
the time, along the edges of a swamp or river.
Best suited to areas with a wet/dry season,
since growth is fastest when the water recedes
and oxygen is available to the roots. Grow at
altitudes up to 1280 m, average temperature of
25° C, and 100–200 cm of precipitation a year.
Description: Showy evergreen tree which in
California Academy of Sciences
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the wild can grow to 18 m. Trunk is thick with a
cylindrical shaft. In flooded sites trees develop
stilt roots and buttresses. In cultivation trees may
be more shrub-like. Shiny, dark green palmately
compound leaves 20–25 cm in length. Buds
open into large creamy white flowers. Although
showy, flowers may be hidden by dense foliage.
The capsular fruit is similar to cocoa bean, a
football-shaped woody pod, up to 30 cm in
length and 12 cm in diameter, olive-yellow green
in color. Globular, dark brown nuts.
Remarks: Nuts are edible, tasting somewhat
like peanuts; can be eaten raw, roasted, or fried.
Toasted seeds can be ground and reportedly
“can be prepared as a chocolate that tastes good
but smells repulsive.”
Young leaves and flowers are cooked and used
as vegetables.
Leaves are soaked in water to produce a liquid
used by indigenous people for protection
against poisoning and as an antidote for bites
of poisonous animals.
Red Mangrove
Rhizophora mangle (Rhizophoraceae)
Distribution: Native to tropical New World,
Atlantic and Pacific coastlines plus Galapagos
Islands; Western coast of Africa; numerous
Pacific islands.
Habitat: Salt-saturated sand or mud, inundated
twice daily, along tropical seacoasts, river and
estuary margins; often adjacent to coral reefs.
Appearance: Ranges in height from 6–15 m; has
multiple prop roots descending from widely
spreading branches; reddish-brown. Ridged,
scaly bark; tough, broad, smooth-edged leaves,
dark green on top, pale beneath, 5–15 cm long.
Small, yellowish-white flowers produce small
reddish-brown conical berries in November.
Reproduction and Development: Vivipary
(germination of seeds while still attached to
mother plant); after a tap root from 15–30 cm
in length develops, seedlings detach, fall onto
mud or into water and float horizontally on
the tide to random destinations.
Mortality/Longevity: Perennial.
Conservation Status: Endangered where
shoreline is cleared for fish and shrimp farming
or industrial and recreation uses.
Remarks: Halophyte; semi-succulent; lenticels
in bark provide aeration of roots and stems.