Along Florida's south coast and halfway up the peninsula, mangrove swamps , dense forests of tropical mangrove trees, are common on sheltered tidal shorelines. Florida's two most prominent mangroves are easily identified by their roots. Red mangrove develops long, arching prop roots that grow down from larger branches.
Black mangrove has hundreds of roots the size of pencils that grow up from the soil.
Tall white mangrove and buttonwood usually grow upland of the red and black mangroves. Florida has more than 500,000 acres of mangroves remaining, most in the area of the Ten Thousand Islands and Florida Bay. Mangroves are very hardy, having become adapted to a harsh environment where water and salinity levels fluctuate. Freshwater flows bring nutrients into the system and reduce salt stress. Mangroves can be damaged by storms or freezes but usually recover.