Plants can actually give birth to live young. Seeds float on water, so there's no need to worry if they fall into the sea!

People who have never seen mangroves must think that mangroves must be red. In fact, most mangrove plants are evergreen all year round, growing in lush green patches on the beautiful coastline. So why do people call them mangroves? It turns out that the bark of mangroves contains a substance called "tannic acid", which will shyly be oxidized to red when it encounters air, so it is named "mangrove" forest.

There are 84 species of mangroves in the world, and 36 species of mangroves in my country, including Sonneratia, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Kandelia candel, Mangrove, Paulownia affine, Avicennia marina, Prunus elata, etc. They are mainly distributed in Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Although the distribution range of mangroves in my country is relatively wide, the community structure is simple, the ecosystem is fragile, and the mangrove patches are small and the forest belts are narrow.

Kandelia candel is a common plant in mangroves, belonging to the Kandelia genus of the Rhizophoraceae family. It is a shrub or small tree, the most widely distributed species among mangrove plants in my country, distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and other places, and also introduced in Zhejiang. Kandelia candel is 1~8m tall, with smooth reddish brown bark, thick branches and swollen nodes; the leaves of Kandelia candel are elliptical, oblong-elliptical or nearly obovate, with blunt or rounded apex and broad wedge-shaped base.

Kandelia candel has the typical "viviparous phenomenon" of true mangrove plants. It is not like ordinary plants that grow directly from seeds in the soil. It is a viviparous plant. After its seedlings germinate and mature on the mother tree, they fall to the ground and take root. If they fall into the sea, the floating seeds will drift with the water, and when the tide recedes, they will fall into the soil and take time to take root and grow. The flowering period of Kandelia candel is from April to August every year, and the fruiting period is from May to June of the following year. The hypocotyl of Kandelia candel is slender, very similar to eggplant, so it is named "Kanelia candel".

Kandelia candel has multiple ecological values ​​in wetland ecosystems. First, it can absorb salt from seawater and discharge excess salt out of the plant body through its leaves, which allows Kandelia can grow in saline-alkali areas without dying of thirst. Secondly, Kandelia candel plays an important role in promoting the formation of soil sediments, filtering organic matter and pollutants, and purifying water quality. In addition, the supporting roots of Kandelia candel are particularly developed, which can resist tidal and flood impacts, slow down wind and waves, regulate water flow, and protect embankments. Kandelia candel in mangrove ecosystems has made important contributions to the global carbon cycle and biodiversity conservation through its unique ecological functions.

Mangroves are facing serious threats worldwide. According to statistics, more than one-third of the world's mangroves have disappeared in the past 50 years; from the 1950s to the early 21st century, the area of ​​mangroves in my country decreased by about 60%; the 2002 National Mangrove Resources Survey Report showed that the area of ​​mangroves has dropped to 22,600 hectares. The reduction in the area of ​​mangroves not only affects biodiversity, but also weakens their functions in carbon storage, flood prevention and disaster reduction, posing a major threat to the global ecosystem and human society.

As a unique beauty in nature, the Kandelia candel not only has important ecological value, but also brings us a beautiful landscape experience. We should cherish this ecological resource, strengthen the combination of protection and development and utilization, and let the Kandelia candel play a greater role in human society and natural ecology.

References:

[1] Le Tongchao. Mangrove miracle: the ecological journey of Kandelia candel[J]. Popular Science Education.

[2] Chen Shaoping. The baby Kandelia ovata tree growing up in its mother’s arms[J]. Into Nature.

[3] Zhang Yun. Analysis of the current status of research on ecological restoration technology of mangrove wetlands in my country[J]. Chinese Science Foundation.