Bruguiera gymnorhiza
Orange mangrove (muia)
- Also called Large-leafed orange mangrove, Oriental mangrove, Black mangrove
- Swahili Muia, mshinzi
Evergreen mangrove tree, usually 10-25 m
What it is
Bruguiera gymnorhiza is a tall mangrove with knee-shaped roots that loop up out of the mud and back down, helping the tree take in air. It has large, glossy leaves and striking flowers with a red, star-shaped calyx (the cup around the petals). Its cigar-shaped seedlings, 15 to 25 cm long, sprout while still on the tree. It grows in the inner, muddier, shadier parts of mangrove forests from East Africa across Asia to the Pacific islands.
What it's used for
- Its hard, heavy wood is used on the East African coast for building poles, firewood and charcoal.
- Its bark is rich in tannin and has been used for tanning and dyeing.
- Its flowers are pollinated by birds such as sunbirds, and its roots shelter crabs and young fish.
Where we plant it
Our partners plant the mix of native species that suits each site and season, so a gift plants trees in the project rather than this one species. Bruguiera gymnorhiza is one of the species planted there.
More trees planted in Mangrove Restoration in Kenya
Spurred mangrove (mkandaa)Ceriops tagal
Loop-root mangrove (mkoko)Rhizophora mucronata
Grey mangrove (mchu)Avicennia marina
About Mangrove Restoration in Kenya
Other species we plant
Pollinator Agroforestry in Haiti
16 species
Pigeon pea (pwa kongo)Yellow mombin (monben)Candelabra spurgeMoringa (benzolive)Red mombin (siwèl)Cassava (manyòk)Mesquite or bayahondeSpanish cedar (sèd)Cacao, the chocolate treeSour orange (zoranj si)Papaya (papay)Arabica coffee (kafe)Avocado (zaboka)Lemon (sitwon)Coconut palm (kokoye)Breadfruit (lam veritab)
Rebuilding Oregon's Forests
5 species
Reforestation in Tamil Nadu, India
37 species
LimeberryBaheda or Beleric myrobalanBig-fruited jamunSouth Indian suregadaJamun, Naval or Black plumDevil pepper or Wild snakerootWoody-fruited PterospermumCork-leaved bayurVengai, Vijaysar or Indian kinoCeylon boxwoodCorky debbar treePanakka treeWinged naringi, a wild citrusPamburus, a wild citrus relativeElumbotti, the bone-knit shrubClimbing olaxBakul, Magizham or Spanish cherryKaya or Ironwood treeNotched-leaf spike thornPalai, Palu or KhirniPointed-leaf jasmineIndian screw tree or ValampuriGrewia, a dry-country shrubGrewia, a dry-forest shrubOrangeberry or KonjiGarlic fruit or Bitter garciniaHairy fig or PeyattiWild karanda or ConkerberryCansjera, a native forest climberShining bush-violetVagai or Siris treeUsilai or Krishna sirisChokkalai or Droopy leafWild lime or Kattu elumichaiKorinti, a custard-apple relativeIndian allophylus or TitberryLolly berry or Saptarangi
