Tengar zip

Ceriops zippeliana

IUCN: LC

Tengar zip (Ceriops zippeliana) is a mangrove of the family Rhizophoraceae recorded in the biodiversity data of PRPM Mengare.

It is one of 22 species in the group “Mangroves” recorded at the site, and one of 10 species of the family Rhizophoraceae.

How to recognise it

Form: Small to medium tree, 5–15 m tall, slender trunk with grey-brown bark.
Roots: Buttresses at the trunk base from modified prop roots, like C. tagal and C. decandra.
Leaves: Opposite, elliptic to oblong, 5–12 cm; glossy green, pointed tip; sometimes fine black dots underneath.
Flowers: Small clusters (cymes) in the leaf axils; yellowish-white flowers, smaller than C. tagal.
Fruit & seed: Slim hypocotyl, 15–20 cm long, straight or slightly curved; larger than C. decandra but smaller than C. tagal.

Did you know?

Ceriops zippeliana looks so much like C. tagal that the two are hard to tell apart in the field; the main differences are in flower and hypocotyl size. It is more common in eastern Indonesia, such as Maluku and Papua, and often grows on sandy mud.