Friis, I. (1993) Rhizophoraceae in Flora of Somalia 1: 254-257
Plants trees or shrubs. Leaves opposite, usually evergreen; stipules interpetiolar, rapdily falling, or absent; blades simple. Inflorescences dichotomous cyes, racemes, spikes, or of solitary flowers. Flowers radially symmetric, usually bisexual, epigynous or perigynous; sepals persistent, 4-15, united at the base forming a tube, the lobes valvate; petals equal in number to the sepals, distinct, often clawed, sometimes fleshy; stamens inserted on the hypanthia, 2-4 times as many as the calyx lobes, usually in 1 whorl, sometimes in pairs; filaments short of long; anthers with 4 thecae, dehiscing longitudinally or with numerous thecase dehiscing irregularly (Rhizophora); ovaries superior to inferior, (1-)2-4(-5)-celled, placentation axile, each cell with 2 ovules; styles simple; stigmas more or less didivided. Fruits usually berries, rarely drupes or dehiscent capsules, pften viviparous, remaining on the tree or dispersed with the germinating seedling; embryos often woth a long hypocotyl and green cotyledons.
The family Rhizophoraceae includes 16 genera and is primarily native to the Old World tropics. Most are mangrove species, groing on muddy sea shore, but the genera Cassipourea and Anisophyllaeainclude only inland species.