The words "black forest" sound ominous, but in fact there is nothing terrible in them. The common boron acquired this name due to the color of the nearby waters.
Where do mangroves grow
Black forests are also called "mangrove". Mangroves are a type of deciduous evergreen tree that grows exclusively in shallow water. Mangroves are common almost all over the world, but the subtropical and tropical areas are favorite areas. There are, for example, on the coast of West Africa, in the coastal zone of Florida, but the most lush and abundant off the coast of Southeast Asia. These trees love heavy rainfall and are used to high temperatures.
Life in salt water
Among the mangroves are black, red and white. They all have in common an extremely developed, surprisingly powerful root system that is able to extract nutrients from organic layers hidden deep under water. Black mangrove, for example, sinks roots to a depth of 2 m; it also has respiratory roots - pneumatophores.
Trees are perfectly adapted to life in salty soils, periodically flooded with sea water. They extract all organic matter from moisture, and the dark color of the water is due to the leaves constantly falling into it, secreting tannin. Its appearance even somewhat resembles strongly brewed tea.
Red mangrove is also called a "walking tree" for the ability of the roots to gradually move towards the water. Mangrove not only collects, but also creates a layer of soil around itself, retaining various organic deposits. He throws his seeds directly into the water, and they float until they reach the shore, where they take root. This voyage can last for months. Mangroves accumulate moisture in the trunk, and some species secrete excess salt through the leaves.
Mangrove forests provide refuge for numerous fish that cling to their roots during high tides and crabs. Unfortunately, they have been actively cut down for a long time, using wood in construction, but now in many countries, cutting is strictly limited.
Other black forests of the world
By the way, in addition to mangroves, there are 2 more real Black forests: this is the Black Forest in the southwestern part of Germany, in which the trees grow so densely that the sun's light almost does not penetrate there, and the Black Forest in Ukraine, in the Kirovograd region on the watershed of the Ingulets rivers and Tyasmin, formed tightly to each other by standing mighty hornbeams and oaks.
Any forests, whether they are black or not, deciduous or coniferous, are a real miracle of nature that provides life on planet Earth, and the task of man is to preserve all of them and increase them.
