Heritiera littoralis

Quick Facts

common name : Attona,Etuna, Homediriya, Choomuntiri

Scientific Name : Heritiera littoralis

Kingdom : Plantae}

Clade : Tracheophytes Angiosperms Eudicots Rosids

Order : Myrtales

Family : Malvaceae

Genus : Heritiera

Species : H. littoralis

Conservation Status : 3

Type of Mangrove : True mangrove

Type of Roots : Buttresses. Broad buttresses and well developed plank roots

General Characters

Tree height up to 16m.

Other Characters

Prefer well draind soil. Occur in dryer parts of riverine and a lgoon fringing mangals. Bark: Grayish, scaly, vertically fissured

Features of Flower

Inflorescence : axillary or terminal, loose panicle, Petals: purple and brown, Calyx: 5 lobes, reddish Size: female flower 3-7mm long, male flower 5-6mm long, unisexual flowers, both densely hairy Seed type: normal seed.

Features of Fruits

Size: 5-7cm long Colour: green to brown Surface: smooth Ridge on outer edge resembles a chicken’s comb, contains brown, shining, strongly keeled seeds winged on one side.

Leaf Arrangment

Blade: elliptic to obovate Apex: acute or sub-obtuse Size: 15-30cm long Leaf under surface grayish white , bole upto 1m in girth.

Distribution

Found in both south and west coast mangals individual trees show scattered distribution within a mangal

Range

Coastal regions, from eastern Africa, through tropical Asia to Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Type of Roots

Buttresses. Broad buttresses and well developed plank roots

IUCN Red List Status