Flower profile
Red mangrove
Rhizophora mangle
Red mangrove is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Florida it's most often seen in bloom in January–December.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Florida
Quick look
Rhizophora mangle, also known as the red mangrove, is a salt-tolerant, small-to-medium sized evergreen tree restricted to coastal, estuarine ecosystems along the southern portions of North America, the Caribbean as well as Central America and tropical West Africa. Its viviparous "seeds", in actuality called propagules, become fully mature plants before dropping off the parent tree.
- It belongs to the Rhizophoraceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 4 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Florida. NatureServe
- In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 11,082 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #4 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. iNaturalist
Red mangrove gift ideas
Handmade red mangrove gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Red mangrove art print
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Red mangrove greeting card
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Red mangrove mug
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Red mangrove earrings
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Red mangrove embroidery pattern
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Red mangrove sticker
When does it bloom?
In Florida, most flowering sightings come in January–December.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Florida
- Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: S3, vulnerable in Florida. FAC 5B-40.0055
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Please don't pick or dig this flower: NatureServe ranks it S3 in Florida. NatureServe
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records red mangrove in 4 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina.
Florida counties with USDA records: Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Hernando, Indian River, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, St. Lucie, Volusia, Wakulla.
More Florida flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RHMA2.
- iNaturalist, Rhizophora mangle: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Rhizophora mangle (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
- Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Rhizophora mangle (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Brighton Lee via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.