Recently botanists have discovered a new species of Lumnitzera racemosa Willd, commonly known as the white-flowered black mangrove, in the coastal zone of Shenzhen's Dapeng New District. The population of the plant has reached over 60 and the distribution area is about 2,000 square meters.
The Lumnitzera racemosa Willd is growing well now, experts from the South China National Botanical Garden said after on-site identification.
Lumnitzera racemosa Willd
Lumnitzera racemosa Willd is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree, growing to a maximum height of 8 meters. Their leaves are arranged spirally at the tips of the shoots, and the leaves are about 6.5 cm long and 2.2 cm wide. Their flowers are small and white, and are followed by flattened fruits containing a single seed.
This species is mainly distributed on the coast of China's Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi and Taiwan, and southward to Indo-China Peninsula, Malaysia, East Africa, Madagascar, northern Oceania and Polynesia.
The southern coastal zone of Shenzhen belongs to the northern semi-evergreen seasonal tropical forests. Thus, there are often species in some tropical families and genera. In 2015, a mangrove species—Scaevola hainanensis Hance—was found in the Dapeng New District. The number of the plant is only a little more than 10, belonging to the plant species with extremely small populations.
Scaevola hainanensis Hance
Photo: Dapeng Branch of Shenzhen Municipal Ecological Administration, Nanfang Plus, iDapeng
Author: Ariel
Editor: Olivia, Monica, Jerry
