Some salt, however, still enters the root system. This passes through the plant and is stored within the plant in its leaves, stems and roots. Consequently, there are often very high concentrations of salt in mangrove plant leaves. Because of the limited availability of freshwater in the salty soils of the intertidal zone, mangrove plants have developed ways of limiting the amount of water that they lose through their leaves. By orientating their leaves to avoid the harsh midday sun, mangrove plants can reduce evaporation from their leaf surfaces.
Mangroves also have buoyant seeds that are suited to dispersal in water.
Unlike most plants, whose seeds germinate in the soil, many mangrove plants are viviparous i.e. their seeds germinate while still attached to the parent tree. When the propagule is mature it drops into the water and remains dormant while it disperses until it lodges safely in the soil, sprouts roots and begins to grow. The development of a propagule of the Red Mangrove is illustrated in Propagule Formation . Other species within the same group of plants, called the Rhizophoraceae family, reproduce in a similar way. Plants that belong to the Rhizophoraceae family are Ceriops species , Bruguiera species , and Rhizophora species .