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plants text index | photo
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| mangroves > Bruguiera in general |
| Bakau
mata buaya Bruguiera hainesii Family Rhizophoraceae updated Aug 10 Where seen? This beautiful mangrove tree is rare in Singapore, with only a few known specimens; one at Pasir Ris, one at Kranji Nature Trail and two at Pulau Ubin. According to Tomlinson, it is infrequent on the inland side of the mangroves in regions not regularly flushed by normal tides. According to Giersen, occurs on the landward margins of mangroves in relatively dry areas that are only inundated during the spring tides. Globally, it is considered "very rare" with "a limited and patchy distribution". According to Tomlinson, it is widely distributed from south Myanmar and Thailand through the Malay archipelago to Papua New Guinea but it has not been recorded from Queensland. Features: Tall tree to 33m with a trunk up to 70cm in diameter. Bark brown to grey with yellowish brown lenticels from top to base, sometimes smooth. Short buttress and knee roots. Leaves oval, shiny green (9-16cm long). Flowers larger than B. cylindrica (about 2cm) in clusters of 2-3 flowers. Calyx is pale green with 10 stout long lobes. Petals are pale turning orangey brown, hairy with 2-4 bristles at the tips. Propagule develops on the parent plant: the hypocotyl is cigar-shaped (1-9cm long), slightly thickened towards the end, slightly curved. The calyx lobes are extended at right angles to the hypocotyl. According to Tomlinson, the small flowers are pollinated by day flying insects such as butterflies. The petals of the flower hold loose pollen and are under tension. When probed at the base, the petal unzips to scatter a cloud of pollen over the head of the visiting insect. Status and threats: This plant is listed as 'Critically Endangered' on the Red List of threatened plants of Singapore, as well as globally on the IUCN Red List. |
 Pulau Ubin, Jun 09  |
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 Pulau Ubin, Jun 09 |
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 Pasir Ris, May 09 |
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Links
References
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Cambridge University Press. USA. 419 pp.|
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