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Avicennia officinalis L.

Family Name:	Acanthaceae
Synonyms:	Avicennia tomentosa Willd.
Common Name:	Api Api Ludat

Avicennia officinalis, also known as Api Api Ludat, is a mangrove tree. It has large orange-yellow flowers that smell rancid. The leaves are oblong shaped and the underside are distinctly yellowish green.

Full Sun

Semi Shade

Lots of Water

Native to Singapore

Coastal Plant

Tree

Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Name Authority
Name Status (botanical)
Synonyms
Common Names
Comments
Species Summary

Classifications and Characteristics

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants)
Plant Growth Form	Tree (Medium (16m-30m), Small (6m-15m))
Lifespan (in Singapore)	Perennial

Mode of Nutrition

Autotrophic

Biogeography

Native Distribution	East Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Southeast Asia, including Singapore, New Guinea, southern Australia
Native Habitat	Shoreline (Mangrove Forest)
Preferred Climate Zone	Tropical, Sub-Tropical / Monsoonal

Local Conservation Status

Native to Singapore (Least Concern (LC))

Description and Ethnobotany

Growth Form	It is a medium size tree, usually reaching up to 12 - 15 m, sometimes 20 m.
Trunk	Bark is yellowish-green to brownish-grey colour, smooth with lenticels,
Roots	It has thin, pencil-like pneumatophores which are covered with lenticels. The pneumatophores that protrude out of the soil allowing root respiration in the anaerobic muddy soil. Aerial stilt roots may also develop.

Foliage	Obovate or obovate-oblong leaves with a rounded top, dark green above and yellowish-green underneath, measuring up to 12.5 by 6 cm. The leaves are arranged in simple, opposite decussate manner. Upper surface is covered with many glandular dots.
Flowers	Orange-yellow flowers measuring 10 - 15 mm across, rancid smelling and covered with short, soft hairs on both surfaces. Stamens are longer than the corolla, ovary covered with short dense hairs and tips of petals unfold irregularly and blacken with age.
Fruit	Fruit is densely covered with short hairs, broadly ovate with a short apical beak, measuring about 3 cm. All Avicennia species exhibit crytovivipary, in which the embryo germinates within the fruit but does not enlarge sufficiently to break through the fruit wall.
Habitat	Found in the intermediate estuarine zone in the lower intertidal region. Occurring in the landward margins of mangrove swamps, usually along tidal river banks and river mouths.
Etymology	Avicennia is named in honour of the Persian physician, Avicenna (980 - 1037).
Ethnobotanical Uses	Edible Plant Parts : Edible Fruits Timber & Products: Wood is used as fuel and resin in bark is used as a contraceptive.

Landscaping Features

Landscape Uses	Coastal, Riverine

SGMP Treatment

Fauna, Pollination and Dispersal

Pollination Method(s)	Biotic (Fauna)
Seed or Spore Dispersal	Abiotic (Water)

Plant Care and Propagation

Light Preference	Full Sun, Semi-Shade
Water Preference	Lots of Water
Plant Growth Rate	Moderate

Rootzone Tolerance	Waterlogged Soils, Saline Soils / Salt Spray, Fertile Loamy Soils
Potential Problems	Sooty mold and scale insects.
Propagation Method	Viviparious Propagule

Foliar

Foliage Retention	Evergreen
Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Green
Foliar Type	Simple / Unifoliate

Foliar Arrangement Along Stem	Opposite
Foliar Attachment to Stem	Petiolate
Foliar Venation	Pinnate / Net
Foliar Margin	Entire

Non - Foliar and Storage

Mature Bark Texture	Smooth

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower & Plant Sexuality	Bisexual Flowers
Flower Colour(s)	Orange, Yellow / Golden
Flower Grouping	Cluster / Inflorescence

Image Repository

Images

Others

Master ID	1975
Species ID	3267
Flora Disclaimer	The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.