Taxon: Avicennia germinans (L.) L.

Summary

Genus:

Avicennia

Family:

Acanthaceae

Subfamily:

Avicennioideae

Nomen number:

70116

Place of publication:

Sp. pl. ed. 3, 2:891. 1764

Verified:

03/09/1995 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

1 (0 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Bontia germinans L.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Avicennia africana P. Beauv.
Avicennia nitida Jacq.
Avicennia tomentosa Jacq.
Avicennia tomentosa Jacq. var. tomentosa

Images (3 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1961-. Flore du Gabon.
Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1963-. Flore du Cameroun.
Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
Brunel, J. F. et al., eds. 1984. Flore analytique du Togo. Phanerogames
Compère, P. 1963. The correct name of the Afro-American black mangrove. Taxon 12:150-152. Note: discusses nomenclature and authorship
Dodd, R. S. et al. 2000. Evolutionary divergence in the pan-Atlantic mangrove Avicennia germinans. New Phytol. 145:115-125. Note: Old & New World representatives are distinct
Englert, J. M. et al. 1999-. USDA-NRCS Improved conservation plant materials released by NRCS and cooperators
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Gillis, W. T. 1974. Name changes for the seed plants in the Bahama flora. Rhodora 76:113.
Gómez-Pompa, A. & V. Sosa, eds. 1978-. Flora de Veracruz.
Görts-van Rijn, A. R. A., ed. 1986-. Flora of the Guianas. Note: lists as Avicennia germinans (L.) Stearn
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Keay, R. W. J. 1989. Trees of Nigeria
Little, E. L. Jr. 1961. Avicennia nitida (Nomenclature). Phytologia 8:49. Note: lists as Avicennia germinans L.; = A. nitida Jacq.
Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Stearn, W. T. 1958. A key to West Indian mangroves. Kew Bull. 13:33-37. Note: lists as Avicennia germinans (L.) Stearn
Uphof, J. C. T. 1968. Dictionary of economic plants, ed. 2. Note: = Avicennia nitida Jacq.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	black mangrove	1	Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
Spanish	mangle	2	Gómez-Pompa, A. & V. Sosa, eds. 1978-. Flora de Veracruz.
Spanish	mangle negro	2	Gómez-Pompa, A. & V. Sosa, eds. 1978-. Flora de Veracruz.

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Côte D'Ivoire		s.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Gambia		w.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Ghana		s.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea		s.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Guinea-Bissau		w.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Mauritania		w.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Nigeria		s.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Senegal		w.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Sierra Leone		s.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Togo		s.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Cameroon		w.	Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1963-. Flore du Cameroun.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Democratic Republic of the Congo		w.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Equatorial Guinea
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Gabon		w.
1	Native	Africa	West-Central Tropical Africa	Sao Tome and Principe
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Baja California (Norte)		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Baja California Sur		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	San Luis Potosí		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sonora		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	South-Central U.S.A.	United States	Texas
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Florida
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Colima		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Michoacán de Ocampo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Quintana Roo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil		n. & e.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Anguilla			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Antigua and Barbuda			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Bahamas
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Bermuda
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Grenada			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Guadeloupe			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Hispaniola
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica			Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Martinique			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Montserrat			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Kitts and Nevis			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Vincent and Grenadines			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	French Guiana		n.	Görts-van Rijn, A. R. A., ed. 1986-. Flora of the Guianas. Note: lists as Avicennia germinans (L.) Stearn
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Guyana		n.	Görts-van Rijn, A. R. A., ed. 1986-. Flora of the Guianas. Note: lists as Avicennia germinans (L.) Stearn
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Suriname		n.	Görts-van Rijn, A. R. A., ed. 1986-. Flora of the Guianas. Note: lists as Avicennia germinans (L.) Stearn
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela		n.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia		n. & w.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador		w.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru	Tumbes		Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45

Native
Africa

WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon (w.), Democratic Republic of the Congo (w.), Gabon (w.), Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Côte D'Ivoire (s.), Ghana (s.), Guinea (s.), Gambia (w.), Guinea-Bissau (w.), Mauritania (w.), Nigeria (s.), Senegal (w.), Sierra Leone (s.), Togo (s.)

Northern America

SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Florida]
SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Texas]
NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Baja California (Norte), Baja California Sur, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán de Ocampo, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Hispaniola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Martinique, United States [Puerto Rico], St. Vincent and Grenadines
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana (n.), Guyana (n.), Suriname (n.), Venezuela (n.)
BRAZIL: Brazil (n. & e.)
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia (n. & w.), Ecuador (w.), Peru [Tumbes]

Reference(s)

Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1963-. Flore du Cameroun.
Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
Görts-van Rijn, A. R. A., ed. 1986-. Flora of the Guianas. Note: lists as Avicennia germinans (L.) Stearn
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:592. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Materials	tannin/dyestuff		Uphof, J. C. T. 1968. Dictionary of economic plants, ed. 2. Note: = Avicennia nitida Jacq.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=70116. Accessed 13 May 2026.