Looking Glass Mangrove
Heritiera littoralis

Family: Malvaceae

What it is like

A tree up to 30 m high with a silvery crown and wide spreading branch-like buttresses. The trunk can be 90 cm across. The bark is light coloured and coarsely furrowed. The leaves are grouped near the ends of branches and are dark green on top and with silvery scales underneath. The leaves are 14-29 cm long. The upper side of the leaves is smooth and without hairs while the under side is silvery. The flowering branches are borne in the axils of leaves and have many flowers. The flowers are small, and hang in tassels. The flowers are of one sex, yellowish green and bell shaped. The fruit are hard, woody, smooth and shiny and boat shaped. The fruit are in clusters near the ends of branches. Fruit are 5-10 cm long. There is one seed inside which is edible. The wood is very hard.

The seeds are used in medicine in Indonesia. There are about 35 Heritiera species. Also put in the family Sterculiaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. They are found in the inner part of the mangrove swamp and sometimes on dry land just at the back of the swamp in the tropics. They grow on sandy and rocky coasts. It can tolerate salt. They occur up to 50 m altitude. The trees occur from tropical Africa, India through Malaysia to Polynesia. It can grow in arid places. In Townsville palmetum.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Andamans, Asia, Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Christmas Island, Chuuk, East Africa, East Timor, Fiji, FSM, Guam, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Kosrae, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mariana Islands, Marquesas, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Pacific, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pohnpei, SE Asia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yap, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten after roasting the fruit. They are bitter. The seeds are sometimes eaten with fish. The leaves are used in the preparation of tea.

In Papua New Guinea, a moderately common tree but the nuts are probably only occasionally eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds, nuts, leaves - tea

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. Trees grow wild. The fruit can float in sea water for long distances and then still germinate.

Trees are slow growing. In the southern hemisphere flowering and fruiting is from April to November.

Its other names

Local names

Adavibadamu, Chandmara, Chebibech, Chomuntri, Cui, Dugun kecil, Dungun ayer, Dungun, Etuna, Itik-itikan, Kalampu, Kannadi-yilai, Kolland, Mawtda, Mkokoshi, Mkungu, Msikundazi, Mukuram, Nakam, Pinle-kanazo, Pohon dungun teropong, Sundari, Sundrichand, Thhiey, Tulip mangrove

Synonyms

Amygdalus littoralis (Dryander) O. Kuntze; Amygdalus minor (Gaertn.) O. Kuntze; Atunus litorea Rumph.; Balanopteris minor Gaertn.; Balanopteris tothila Gaertn.; Heritiera fomes Wall.; Heritiera minor Lam.; Heritiera tothila (Gaertn.) Kurz; Nagam Rheede; Samandura littoralis Oken; Sterculia ambiformis Ahern; Sterculia cymbiformis Blanco; Sutherlandia littoralis J. F. Gmelin;