Grow white mangrove in full sun on wet, salty ground, a little upslope of red mangrove. White mangrove is Laguncularia. If you searched this from a game, this is the Florida shoreline tree.
Give it full sun on wet, salty ground, a little upslope
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Full sun | Do not site it in shade as a woodland understory tree |
| Soil | Wet salt or brackish ground on the high fringe of the shore | Do not plant it on dry inland ground, and do not set it in standing water |
| Water | Keep the root zone wet | Do not let a new planting dry |
| Salt | Salt in the air and the soil. Two glands at the leaf base dump salt | Do not treat the glands or the white crust as a disease |
| Kind | White mangrove for the high wet fringe of a salt shoreline | Do not buy a red mangrove with prop roots and expect a dry-bank hedge |
white mangrove is an evergreen coastal tree with opposite leathery oval leaves, light green on both sides. Site it in full sun on ground that stays wet with salt or brackish water, a little higher on the bank than red mangrove. [1] Two small glands sit on the leaf stalk just below the blade. They dump extra salt, so a white crust on the leaf is normal. Wipe it off if it bothers you, but do not spray for a disease that is not there. Plant it slightly upslope of red and black mangrove, on the high wet fringe, not in a dry lawn and not in a hole that stays flooded. [2] A hard freeze can kill the top, so skip a pocket that routinely drops below freezing. It is a waterfront screen or a windbreak on a salt shore, not a dry-lot street tree, and it is not drought-tolerant.
How much sun does white mangrove need?
Give it full sun. Shade as a woodland understory tree is the wrong site.
How often should I water white mangrove?
Keep the root zone wet. A tide that wets the high fringe and then falls back is the natural pattern. If the bank can dry, water so it never sits dry.
What are the two bumps at the leaf base?
Those are salt glands. The plant moves salt out through them, so a white crust is normal. They are not a disease.
Can it grow in just water?
No. Keep the roots wet, but do not grow it as an aquarium plant in a bowl of water. It wants wet salt ground on the high fringe, not a tank.
Plant a nursery plant after frost, slightly upslope of red mangrove
Plant a nursery plant after the last frost, on wet salt ground slightly upslope of red mangrove. A plant about 2 to 3 feet tall with a full root mass is the usual start. [3]
- Buy a nursery plant with a solid root mass, not a dried fruit from a jar.
- Wait until after the last frost. Cold, dry weather is a poor planting window.
- Dig on the high wet fringe, slightly upslope of red and black mangrove. Skip a high, dry berm, and skip a hole that stays flooded.
- Set the plant at the same depth it grew in the pot, and backfill with the mud you removed.
- Pick a protected bank. This tree is a poor pick on a high-energy shore that scours young plants.
- Keep the root zone wet until new shoots stiffen.
When should I plant white mangrove?
Plant after the last frost, in ground that is already wet. Do not plant into a dry hole and hope to catch up with the hose.
How deep do I set the plant?
Set it at the same depth it grew in the pot, on the high wet fringe. Do not perch it on a dry berm, and do not drop it into standing water.
Start from a fresh fruit — do not store it
The fruit is a small flask with one seed. Use it fresh. Direct-sowing on a live shore has poor survival in Florida, so grow the fruit in a pot and plant the seedling later. [4]
- Use a fresh fruit. Do not store it more than about a week.
- Soak it in water until a root tip shows, and change the water each day.
- Set the root tip into wet potting mix, and sit the pot in a tray of water so the mix stays wet.
- Grow it on until the seedling is about 2 to 3 feet tall with a full root mass, then plant it out as above.
Can I start white mangrove from seed?
Yes, from a fresh fruit that has not been stored. Soak it until a root tip shows, and keep the pot wet. A nursery plant is the surer start in the ground.
Check the rules before you trim
Check local rules before you cut. In Florida these trees are protected with red mangrove and black mangrove, and you may need permission before you trim.
- Ask the local office that handles shoreline plants before you cut. A waterfront view is not permission on its own.
- If a rule allows a hedge, white mangrove takes that cut better than red mangrove. Cut for even weight, not a one-sided wall.
- Do not strip the tree of its leaves.
- Do not cut the roots.
- If a rule allows a view cut, leave the upper canopy. An old tree recovers poorly if you take the top out.
When can I trim white mangrove?
Check the rules first. Do not strip the leaves, and do not cut the roots. Florida protects these trees, so a waterfront view is not permission on its own.
Not red mangrove — and not black mangrove or buttonwood
Red mangrove is Rhizophora, the tree with arched prop roots that stands in standing water. Black mangrove is Avicennia, with a carpet of pencil roots and salt crystals on the leaves — see How to Grow Black Mangrove. Buttonwood is Conocarpus, above the tide, with alternate leaves — not a true mangrove — see How to Grow Buttonwood. Mangrove lily is a crinum, a wet-ground bulb, not this tree — see How to Grow Crinum. Conocarpus racemosa is an old name for the same white mangrove, not a second shop card.
Is white mangrove the same as red mangrove?
No. Red mangrove has arched prop roots and stands lower in the tide. White mangrove sits higher on the bank and has two glands at the leaf base.
Keep the ground wet and salty, and plant it a little upslope of red mangrove.
FAQ
Is this the Minecraft tree?
No. White mangrove here is the Florida shoreline tree. A game biome tree is not this plant.
Does it come back after a freeze?
A hard freeze can kill the leaves, and a colder night can kill the top. Do not treat it as a plant you lift and store.
Can I grow it as a houseplant?
No. It wants outdoor wet salt ground, or a nursery pot only until you plant it out. A windowsill bowl is the wrong size and the wrong water.
Is Conocarpus racemosa a different plant?
No. Conocarpus racemosa is an old name for the same white mangrove. Buttonwood is a different tree.
Do the flowers make honey I can harvest?
Bees work the small white flowers, and some coasts take a mangrove honey. Do not treat the tree as a crop you pick or a recipe you cook from the bark.
What else grows on that salt shoreline?
Red mangrove lower in the tide, black mangrove a little below this tree, and buttonwood above the tide. Do not pair it with a dry-bank shrub that needs the same bed to drain.
Recommended plants
References
- [1] UF/IFAS Extension -
https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR325 - [2] Florida Native Plant Society -
https://www.fnps.org/plant/laguncularia-racemosa - [3] Forest Service -
https://www.fs.usda.gov/psw/publications/allen/psw_2002_allen005.pdf - [4] Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center -
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LARA2
More first-season notes by plant are gathered in How to Grow Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors