Avicennia

Avicennia is a genus of mangrove tree. As with other mangroves, it occurs in the intertidal zones of estuarine areas, and has the characteristic aerial roots of mangroves. Species of Avicennia occur worldwide south of the Tropic of Cancer.

The taxonomic placement of Avicennia is contentious. In some classifications it has been placed in the family Verbenaceae, but more recently has been placed by some botanists in the monogeneric family Avicenniaceae. Recent phylogenetic studies have suggested that Avicennia is derived from within Acanthaceae, and the genus is included in that family in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system.

Designation of species is made difficult by the great variations in form of Avicennia marina. Between eight and ten species are usually recognised, with Avicennia marina further divided into a number of subspecies.

The name Avicennia is named in honour of the Persian physician Avicenna.Species

• Avicennia alba
• Avicennia bicolor
• Avicennia eucalyptifolia
• Avicennia germinans
• Avicennia integra
• Avicennia marina
• Avicennia officinalis
• Avicennia rumphiana
• Avicennia schaueriana

References

• Boland, D. J. et al. (1984). Forest Trees of Australia (Fourth edition revised and enlarged). CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria, Australia. ISBN 0-643-05423-5..
• Duke, N.C. (1991). "A Systematic Revision of the Mangrove Genus Avicennia (Avicenniaceae) in Australasia". Australian Systematic Botany 4 (2): 299–324.
• Schwarzbach, Andrea E. and McDade, Lucinda A. 2002. Phylogenetic Relationships of the Mangrove Family Avicenniaceae Based on Chloroplast and Nuclear Ribosomal DNA Sequences. Systematic Botany 27: 84-98 (abstract here).

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