vegetation in the mangrove swamps consists primarily of black mangrove ("avicennia germinans") and red mangrove ("rhizophora mangle"). other species of trees reported around the mangroves are buttonwood ("conocarpus erectus"), rush ("juncus acutus"), sea purslane ("sesuvium portulacastrum"), sea ox-eye ("borrichia arborescens"), sea lavender ("limonium caroliniatum"), "paspalum vaginatum", "sporobolus virginicus", woody glasswort ("sarcocornia perennis") and west indian grass ("eustachys petraea"). tropical mangrove swamp characterises the northern areas of the reserve while the southern areas primarily represent temperate saltmarsh.