Mangrove seedlings of Avicennia (2 species) washing up on a nearby beach show the characteristic precocious germination. In one species a raft of several seedlings are usually found held together by tangled roots (left), suggesting they germinated prior to being dispersed. The shoots are well extended beyond the cotyledons that remain wrapped around the stem. The other seedlings of the other species are found singly (right). These show the two cotyledons still folded together; the shoot has just begun to emerge, but the roots are well developed.