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Sonneratia apetala Buch
Ham.
Small to medium tree, upto 15 m high, crown large deliquiscent branching Branches or twigs pendulous or drooping Bark thin,light brown, irregularly fissured Pneumatophores conspicuous, upto 1.55 m high with secondary thickening and upto 3.0 cm diam. arising from long spreading horizontal roots, spreading around upto 15 m from the base of the trunk Aerial breathing pneumatophores are hard, corky and scally outer surface Leaves opposite decussate, exstipulate, simple, cauline, petiolate Petiole 0.5 cm long, pulvinous, glabrous, lamina narrow, gradually tapering towards the apex. Inflorescnece terminal cyme; mostly 3-flowered or 7 flowered dichasial cyme, from the axil of the branches Flowers ebracteate, pedicellate Pedicel 2 cm long, terete glabrous, greenish, erect 1.2 cm - 2.5 cm long and 1.5 cm - 3.0 cm diam. in case of open flower. Flowers apetalous, cream coloured, arranged in axillary 3-flowered of 7 flowered dichasial cyme. Flower regular, actinomorphic, bisexual, hypogynous, Sepals 4, gamosepalous, persistent, imbricate, cup shaped, elliptic entire Stamens many or indefinite, free, filament 1 cm long, terete, white. glabours, dorsifixed, indefinite, exerted, anther bilobed, filament, 0.1 cm long Ovary dumbel shaped, inferior, 6 chambered, numerous ovules in each chamber, with axile placentation Style 1, terminal, glabrous, white, 2 cm - 3 cm long, curved, stigma 1, falttened like umbrella or mushroom, upper portion reddish Fruit depressed, globose berry, arranged on the flattened persistent calyx plate. Seeds 4 - 7 per fruit, brown in clour, triangular ridged, 1.5 cm long
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