Conocarpus
Encyclopedia
Conocarpus is a genus of two species of flowering plant
s in the family Combretaceae
, native to tropical regions of the world. One of the species is a widespread mangrove
species, the other is restricted to a small area around the southern Red Sea
coasts, where it grows alongside seasonal rivers.
They are dense multiple-trunked shrub
s or small to medium-sized tree
s from 1-20 m tall.
The generic name is derived from the Greek
words κονος (konos), meaning "cone," and καρπος (karpos), meaning "fruit."
, including the Florida keys
. They are also widely distributed on coasts of tropical America from Bermuda
and the Bahamas through West Indies including Puerto Rico
and Virgin Islands
; from Mexico south on the Atlantic coast to Brazil and on the Pacific Coast
to Ecuador
including the Galapagos Islands
, and Peru
; and on coasts of west Africa
and in Melanesia
and Polynesia
.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the family Combretaceae
Combretaceae
Combretaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 600 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in 18 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, Combretum imberbe. Three genera, Conocarpus, Laguncularia and Lumnitzera, grow in mangrove habitats ....
, native to tropical regions of the world. One of the species is a widespread mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
species, the other is restricted to a small area around the southern Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
coasts, where it grows alongside seasonal rivers.
They are dense multiple-trunked shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s or small to medium-sized tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s from 1-20 m tall.
The generic name is derived from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
words κονος (konos), meaning "cone," and καρπος (karpos), meaning "fruit."
Distribution
Conocarpus species are native to the silt shores of coasts and islands of FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, including the Florida keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
. They are also widely distributed on coasts of tropical America from Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
and the Bahamas through West Indies including Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
; from Mexico south on the Atlantic coast to Brazil and on the Pacific Coast
Pacific Coast
A country's Pacific coast is the part of its coast bordering the Pacific Ocean.-The Americas:Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western border.* Geography of Canada* Geography of Chile* Geography of Colombia...
to Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
including the Galapagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
, and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
; and on coasts of west Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and in Melanesia
Melanesia
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
and Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
.
Species
- Conocarpus erectus L. – Button Mangrove (pantropicalPantropicalIn biogeography, a pantropical distribution one which covers tropical regions of all of the major continents, i.e. in Africa, in Asia and in the Americas. Examples include the plant genera Acacia and Bacopa....
distribution)- Conocarpus erectus var. erectus
- Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus Fors ex DC.
- Conocarpus lancifoliusConocarpus lancifoliusConocarpus lancifolius, one of two species in the genus Conocarpus, is a tree in the family Combretaceae native to coastal and riverine areas of Somalia, Djibouti, and Yemen. It is found throughout East Africa, the Arabian peninsula, and South Asia....
Engl. (SomaliaSomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, YemenYemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
)
Formerly placed here
- Anogeissus acuminata (Roxb. ex DC.) Wall. ex Guill. & Perr. (as C. acuminatus Roxb. ex DC.)
- Anogeissus latifoliaAnogeissus latifoliaAnogeissus latifolia is a species of small to medium-sized tree native to the India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Its common names are axlewood , bakli, dhau, dhawa, dhawra, or dhaora , takhian-nu , and raam .It is one of the most useful trees in India...
(Roxb. ex DC.) Wall. ex Guill. & Perr. (as C. latifolius Roxb. ex DC.) - Anogeissus leiocarpa (DC.) Guill. & Perr. (as C. leiocarpus DC.)
- Laguncularia racemosaLaguncularia racemosaLaguncularia racemosa is a species of flowering plant in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae...
(L.) C.F.Gaertn. (as C. racemosus L.)