New Zealand .. What do you imagine when thinking about this country? Hills and sheep? Mountains? Tree ferns?
Well. But certainly not mangrove, or?
It did not come into my mind either, but mangrove was what I came across when going to the beach here on the North Island the first time. Mangrove! I have never seen those strange shrubs before and have always thought that they would be some tropical plants. Learned something new: They grow in the subtropics, too (at least this species).
I could not help it but threw myself into the mud and did a little photographic study on those amazing plants. Guess the other people at the beach had as much fun with observing me as me with photographing ;o)
Mangrove is cool because it is so specialized in growing in tidal saltwater places where other trees have hard times to grow. One adaption are these aerial roots (roots need air to breathe which they can do in normal soils but not in waterlogged soils like this). Another adaption is that they can minimize salt intake.
The mangroves have yellow "fruits".
The "fruits" fall down from the tree and are carried away with the tide so that the plant can find new places to grow. Well, at least a few of them. Then, the yellow outer shell opens up and something green emerges.
And voila, it gets roots!
If it manages to get its roots into the ground, a new mangrove seedling emerges.
If not .. well. It dies on the beach.
More aerial roots and mangroves in the background in a tidal region.
The reddish stuff is all Sarcocornia!
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