Aegiceras corniculatum (L.) Blanco

Habit: Small evergreen tree or shrub up to 6 m tall.

Trunk & bark: Bark smooth dark grey.

Leaves: Leaves simple, alternate, spirally arranged; petiole short; lamina elliptic to obovate, apex rounded to slightly emarginate, base cuneate, 4-6 x 2-3 cm, midrib prominent below and often slightly red.

Inflorescences or flowers: Inflorescence axillary umbels with 15-20 flowers; peduncle short, 5 mm long. Flowers white, fragrant, regular, 1.5 – 2 cm long; calyx lobes 5, imbricate; corolla 5-lobed, twisted to the left; stamens 5, opposite to corolla lobes, filaments linear; ovary fusiform; style narrow and elongate. The flowers secrete nectar and are pollinated by insects.

Fruits: Fruit capsule, falcate curved, tapering to pointed apex, greenish yellow.

Seeds /seedling: 1 seed.

Gregarious on the bank's tidal streams, and intertidal zones, often forming pure zones along the muddy flats. It appears to be a pioneer species in some sites, it co-occurs with other pioneers like Avicennia marina. This species is often found in association with Ceriops decandra and the species of Rhizophora.

Germination modified epigeal type. The propagule consists of the pedicellate fruit, which dehisces early to expose the green radicle, which curves away from the capsule wall. On the ground, the radicle penetrates the substrate and elongates to lift the plumule. The plumule extends through the fruit wall.

Bark and roots are used as fish poison and wood is used as fire–wood. Flower nectar forms one of the sources of honey.