Mangrove climbers

Ant-house plant (Dischidia sp.)

This strange climber often found on mangrove trees, has two kinds of leaves. Smaller, 'normal' looking ones that are still somewhat fat. And clumps of large hollow leaves.
Ants eventually take up residence in these inflated leaves. Here the ants find safety. Meanwhile, the plant benefits by absorbing the leftover food and rubbish that the ants accumulate inside their 'house'. The plant grows roots into these inflated leaves to absorb these nutrients that are rather scarce in a mangrove.

Hoya climber (Hoya sp.)

Another climber with fat leaves, a water-conserving adaptation to the mangrove habitat where freshwater is scarce.
The climber produces a ball of waxy flowers that develop into long narrow pods full of seeds.

Derris (Derris trifloliata)

A climber commonly seen in our mangroves, it often twists around a young tree so the tree trunk becomes deformed as it grows bigger. Eventually, the tree's growth breaks the climber, but the twisted scars remain.
This climber has pretty pink flowers that develop into flat pods.

Links to more about some of these climbers
on the Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore
Common Derris (Derris trifoliata)

Nipah (Nypa fruticans)

This is a palm, like a coconut palm. But instead of a vertical stem, it has horizontal underground stems with tall leaves sprouting from the stem. The long palm leaves are used as roofing or 'attap' in traditional kampung houses.This palm is the source of 'attap-chee' which is the young seed. The part we eat is the source of food for the seedling (on the right is a photo of a sprouting seed).
This is the long stalk of tiny male flowers that produce pollen. Tiny stingless bees often gather at blossoming male flowers and pack the pollen baskets on their legs full of yellow pollen.
The female flowers are in the form of a ball. The yellow one is ready to attract pollinators through the little slits. This ball then turns into a ball of fruits.
The sap in a branch of blooms is full of sugars. Traditionally, the sap is collected and may be processed into 'gula melaka' or sweet brown sugar, also used in many of our deserts. Or fermented to produce the alcoholic 'toddy'.

Links to more about Nipah
on the Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore
Nipah (Nypa fruticans)

Nyireh (Xylocarpus)

Nyireh bunga (Xylocarpus granatum)

Flowers are tiny pinkish.

The fruits are large and look like cannon- or bowling-balls! Inside are a few irregularly shaped nuts arranged like a puzzle.
It has buttress roots. Doesn't have pencil like roots.

The timber is used to build boats and make furniture. Bark dyes used on cloths.

Links to more about Nyireh
from the Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore
Nyireh bunga (Xylocarpus granatum)

This is rare
Nyireh batu (Xylocarpus moluccensis)

Perepat (Sonneratia alba)

The breathing roots are large, conical with pointed tips.
The flowers have hard sepals that are green on the outside and pinkish on the inside. The flowers bloom at night. The petals are small and white. What is seen as a big pom-pom are a bunch of many many stamens (that produce pollen). These usually drop off the morning after the bloom, and the mud may be littered with hundreds of these tiny white stamens.
Fruits rounded, with the sepals forming a star-shape behind them.

More about the role of Perepat in durians

Links to more on Perepat
from the Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore
Perepat (Sonneratia alba)

These are rare
Berembang (Sonneratia caseolaris)
Gedabu (Sonneratia ovata)

Bruguiera

All Bruguiera have knee roots.Bakau putih (Bruguiera cylindrica)

Flowers small with pale hard sepals and tiny white petals. The petals usually wither away by mid-day.
Seedlings cylindrical, slender with backward pointing sepals (the thing that looks like a crown)

The wood from the tree is used for fish stakes, pilings, railway sleepers, heavy pillars and beams and other construction. It is also favoured as firewood and for conversion into charcoal as it produces the most heat among mangrove woods. The bark is astringent and used to treat malaria, cure fish poisoning, diarrhoea and fever.

Tumu (Bruguiera gymnorhiza)

Flowers with red hard plasticky sepals (sometimes bright red, sometimes pale pink) and brown furry petals. The petals usually wither away soon after blooming.
Seedling short and fat.

Links to more Bruguiera
on the Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore
Bakau putih (Bruguiera cylindrica)
Tumu (Bruguiera gymnorhiza)

This one is rare
Lenggadai (Bruguiera praviflora)

Bakau (Rhizophora)

All Rhizophora have stilt roots.All Rhizophora have small dots on the underside of the leaf.

Bakau kurap (Rhizophora mucronata) and Bakau (Rhizophora stylosa)
These two species are hard to differentiate in the field.

Flowers more elegant and held on long stalks from the branch.
Seedlings tend to dangle on long stalks from the branch too.

Bakau minyak (Rhizophora apiculata)
Flowers sturdy and stuck close to the branch.
Seedlings long and stuck close to the branch.

Links to more about Bakau
on the Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore
Bakau minyak (Rhizophora apiculata)
Bakau kurap (Rhizophora mucronata)
Bakau (Rhizophora stylosa)

Api-api (Avicennia)

All Api-api species (Avicennia sp.) have pencil-like roots that are equal in diameter more or less throughout, with blunt rounded tips (compared to Sonneratia which has conical roots with sharp tips).

Api-api bulu (Avicennia rumphiana)
Leaves shaped like a Chinese soup-spoon, furry on top and below.
Small flowers in a compact, cross-like formation. It blooms quite often.
Fruits furry, flattened.

Api-api putih (Avicennia alba)
Leaves long and narrow, white underneath.
Small flowers on a more obvious cross-like formation. Blooms often.
Fruit furry, often with a long tip.
Api-api ludat (Avicennia officinalis)
Leaves shaped like a Chinese soup-spoon, shiny on top and below, not furry.
Large flowers on an obvious cross-like formation. Seldom blooms.
Fruits large and furry, flattened.Secretes salt on the leaves. In dry weather you can sometimes see the salt crystals there.


Links to the common Avicennia
from the Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore
Api-api putih (Avicennia alba)
Api-api ludat (Avicennia officinalis)
Api-api bulu (Avicennia rumphiana)

This Avicennia is rare
Api-api jambu (Avicennia marina)