Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_rhizophora_mangle
Red mangrove
Rhizophora mangle
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About Red mangrove
Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) is native to tropical Atlantic coasts and was intentionally introduced to Hawaiian mudflats in the early twentieth century. It traps sediment and organic matter, converting open mudflat and shallow wetland into woody habitat and changing water flow and waterbird habitat. HISC treats it as invasive statewide. Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist documents naturalized presence on Kauaʻi; current extent remains unassessed.
Kauaʻi evidence
Bishop Museum 2025 Checklist wide: Taxon=Rhizophora mangle; Status=nat; K=K. Identification and ecological statements have the separately linked reviewed sources. The checklist establishes documented island presence; it does not establish current abundance or invasion extent.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Rhizophora mangle
- Common names
- Red mangrove
- Other names
- Red mangrove · American red mangrove · Rhizophora mangle
- Record type
- Species or taxonomic group
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Recorded on Kauaʻi
- Origin
- Introduced
- Conservation status
- Conservation priority; formal rank not listed
- Evidence date
- 2026-10-05
- Evidence limits
- Current extent and population trajectory require refreshed surveys; public occurrence is island level only.
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Estuaries · Mudflats · Fishponds · Brackish wetlands
- Food and resource needs
- Light, water, nutrients, and suitable soil or substrate
- Reproduction
- Viable propagules and suitable establishment conditions
- Shelter
- Suitable soil, substrate, and vegetation structure
- Growth form
- Mangrove tree
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Coastal wetland transformation
- Conservation actions
- Site-specific removal or containment where harming native mudflat/wetland functions
- Monitoring
- Site-specific removal or containment where harming native mudflat/wetland functions
- Data gaps
- Additional ecological and conservation citations are recommended
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Not assessed
- Seasonal description
- Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) is native to tropical Atlantic coasts and was intentionally introduced to Hawaiian mudflats in the early twentieth century. It traps sediment and organic matter, converting open mudflat and shallow wetland into woody habitat and changing water flow and waterbird habitat. HISC treats it as invasive statewide. Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist documents naturalized presence on Kauaʻi; current extent remains unassessed.
