Sundari (mangrove)

Heritiera fomes

The tree that names the Sundarbans; it grows on tidal mud and holds the delta coast together.

Type: canopy tree · native and wild plants
Hardiness: zones 11 to 12
Light: full sun
Size: about 50 ft tall, 25 ft wide
From: Sundarbans of Bangladesh and India
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.

Good for: wildlife, screens and hedges.

Native to: South & Southeast Asian tropics. Hardy in zones 11 to 12.

The story

Sundari means beautiful in Bengali, and this mangrove gives the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest on Earth, its name. Its breathing roots poke up from the tidal mud, and the forest it builds shelters the coast from cyclones and is home to the Bengal tiger.

Planting

Only on tidal, slightly brackish mud in the Ganges delta and coasts like it. Raised from seed in local nurseries for mangrove replanting.

Growing

It needs the daily tide and a mix of fresh river water and sea water; too much salt stunts it, which is a real worry as the delta changes.

Harvest and use

A tree for the coast, not the kitchen garden: it holds mud, breaks storm waves and feeds a whole food web of fish, crabs and honey bees.

What to watch for

Top-dying disease and rising salinity. Planting and cutting in the Sundarbans are protected, so join local replanting projects rather than taking seedlings.

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General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home