SimplePlant

Acanthaceae

Black mangrove

Avicennia germinans (L.) L.

Family
Acanthaceae
Genus
Avicennia

Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

Black mangrove: Black mangrove growing in shallow water near Islamorada , Florida.
Photo: Ianaré Sévi, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (9)
Bulgarian
Брилянтна авицения
Chinese
黑海榄雌, 黑皮紅樹, 萌芽海榄雌, 黑皮红树
Czech
Kolíkovník černý
English
Black mangrove
German
Schwarze Mangrove
Japanese
ブラックマングローブ, アフリカヒルギダマシ
Persian
حرای سیاه
Portuguese
Sereíba
Spanish
Mangle Negro

Synonyms

  • Avicennia africana P.Beauv.
  • Avicennia elliptica Thunb.
  • Avicennia elliptica var. martii Moldenke
  • Avicennia floridana Gand.
  • Avicennia floridana Raf.
  • Avicennia germinans f. aberrans Moldenke
  • Avicennia germinans f. brasiliensis Moldenke
  • Avicennia germinans f. venezuelensis Moldenke
  • Avicennia germinans var. cumanensis (Kunth) Moldenke
  • Avicennia germinans var. germinans
  • Avicennia germinans var. guayaquilensis (Kunth) Moldenke
  • Avicennia lamarckiana C.Presl
  • Avicennia meyeri Miq.
  • Avicennia nitida Sessé & Moc.
  • Avicennia nitida Jacq.
  • Avicennia nitida var. trinitensis Moldenke
  • Avicennia oblongifolia Nutt. ex Chapm.
  • Avicennia officinalis var. lanceolata Kuntze
  • Avicennia officinalis var. nitida Kuntze
  • Avicennia tomentosa Jacq.
  • Avicennia tomentosa var. campechensis Jacq.
  • Avicennia tomentosa var. cumanensis Kunth
  • Avicennia tomentosa var. guayaquilensis Kunth
  • Bontia germinans L.
  • Bontia germinans L.
  • Hilairanthus germinans (L.) Cornejo
  • Hilairanthus nitidus (Jacq.) Tiegh.
  • Hilairanthus tomentosus (Jacq.) Tiegh.

Flowers

Flower colour
white (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit
Shrub, Tree
Lifespan
Perennial
In the US and Canada
Lower 48 states: native, Puerto Rico: native, U.S. Virgin Islands: native

Toxicity: Slight, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.

Photos

More in Avicennia

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.