Looking-glass mangrove

Description

Heritiera littoralis, the looking-glass mangrove is a large tree with wing shaped nuts, which is most easily recognised by the silvery scales on the underside of its leaves, which therefore appear green from top and white from below, although Litsea mellifera A.C. Smith (in the family Lauraceae), has the same type of leaves. The tree is usually found to grow along the seashore in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Tropical Africa. The tree's tough wood has historically been used in boat-building.The fruits of the tree (known as dungon locally), are also used in Philippine cuisine for kinilaw.