• Black mangrove seeds come from black mangrove shrubs/small trees and they usually wash up on shore each fall.
• A large quantity of seeds recently washed up on the beaches of Padre Island.
• Jace Tunnell of the Harte Research Institute says they are very beneficial to the Texas coast because they help build a better coastline.
• You will likely see them washing up on shores throughout November and December.

If you’ve been to the beaches of Coastal Bend recently, you may have noticed large green seeds washing up on the shore. Although they are green, they are called black mangrove seeds and come from black mangrove shrubs/small trees that grow in muddy areas like bays.
“It’s a seed that comes from a bush that we find in bay systems here along the Texas coast.” Jace Tunnell, director of community engagement at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Harte Research Institute, said.

In one of Tunnell’s recent beach reports, he said black mangrove seeds are “the future of our coastal forests” because they have the potential to take root and grow, which will then help protect the coastline from storms and erosion. They also serve as habitat for several marine species, such as fish and crabs.

“You will see a small stem coming off. This is actually the root system. Once they arrive at their destination, they plant themselves and have a root system that stabilizes the shoreline. And that’s what makes them good at what we’re in here,” Tunnell said.

They normally wash up on the beaches of Coastal Bend during the fall months.

“Usually from November to December we find them doing dishes. And then once winter comes, there will be fewer and fewer of them until next fall,” Tunnell said.

Although black mangrove seeds wash up on the beach, that is not where they typically take root and grow.

“We find them on the beach, but they really wouldn’t grow on the beach. There’s too much wave action here and sand movement, so where you’re going to find them is in the bays,” Tunnell said.

Tunnell said the seeds washing the shoreline likely made their way to the coast from the warm waters of the Gulf through the Aransas and Packery Canals and fell back onto the beach. Recent high tides have helped reveal black mangrove seeds.

Some beachgoers on the island were not surprised to see the seeds on the beach.

“I’ve seen a number of them offshore, like there more. Last year there were more on the beach than this year,” said Thailesha Alexander, a regular at Whitecap Beach.

Tunnell encourages beachgoers to take photos and admire these seeds on the beach.

“The next time you see one, and it has that green color, if you want, you can take it home and plant it, if you have salt water in your garden, and watch it grow .”

“It’s actually pretty cool.” I didn’t know it. I just thought it was just random seeds that were on the ground or something, but it’s pretty cool to know that it helps for the environment and everything else,” Alexander said.

Tunnell said black mangrove seeds can last up to a year outside on the beach and will continue to be released throughout November and December.

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