Mangrove Shade on the coast of Zanzibar
Saltwater can kill plants, so Mangroves must extract freshwater from the seawater that surrounds them. Many Mangrove species survive by filtering out as much as 90% of the salt found in seawater as it enters their roots. Some species excrete salt through glands in their leaves. These leaves, which are covered with dried salt crystals, taste salty if you lick them. A third strategy used by some Mangrove species is to concentrate salt in older leaves or bark. When the leaves drop or the bark sheds, the stored salt goes with them.
Year: 2016
From album: Zanzibar Tanzania
Photographer: Rob Barnes