On the critically endangered red teruntum mangrove (Lumnitzera littorea)

Mangroves are ecologically important forest communities along tropical and subtropical coasts with 70 woody species belonging to about 30 genera in 20 families. Lumnitzera littorea (Jack) Voigt of the Family Combretaceae is a critically endangered true mangrove species indigenous to Sri Lanka. This species is distributed widely on the east coast of Africa, northern Australia, Polynesia, and tropical Asian countries. It is only known from a few locations in Sri Lanka. Therefore, in Sri Lanka L. littorea has been identified as a critically endangered (CR) species in 2007, 2012, and 2020 National Red Lists.