Bruguiera cylindrica

 Bruguiera cylindrica

Distribution and habitat:-

Bruguiera cylindrica is found in tropical Asia, from India and Sri Lanka through Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and New Guinea to Queensland, Australia.

 It is one of the commonest mangroves in Singapore.

Bruguiera cylindrica is found on new deposits of silt, often behind other mangroves such as Avicennia which are more salt tolerant.

 Unlike some other mangroves, it does not regenerate easily from broken off branches.

Ecology:-

Mangrove swamps are habitats with great biodiversity. There are a large number of marine invertebrates associated with mangolds including sponges, ascidians, molluscs, shrimps and crabs and also a number of fish and birds. Many terrestrial insects visit mangroves including herbivores, parasites and predators

Uses:-

The timber of Bruguiera cylindrica is dense, reddish and strong and is used in construction. It is used for parts of the hull and, especially, for the keel of canoes in the Maldive Islands.^[ It burns well as firewood and can be converted into charcoal. The crushed bark has an unusual odour which is repulsive to fish and this wood is not therefore used for fish traps. Nevertheless, extracts are made from the pneumatophores which are used in the manufacture of perfume. Parts of the tree are eaten; the root tips are relished in Thailand; the bark supplies a spice and the young shoots are boiled and served as a vegetable.In ^Maldives the propagules are boiled and eaten as a vegetable in the islands where it grows.

In traditional medicine, the skin of the fruit is used to stop bleeding and the leaves are used to lower blood pressure.