The species that make up the Martinican mangrove - photographed here at Taupinière in the southwest of the island - are few. Only five plant species are able to adapt to this saline and perpetually flooded environment. The very halophyte Red, Black and White Mangrove trees are found in the clayey and sandy soils closest to the sea. Very resistant to submersion by salt water, they fix their roots in arches in the sandbanks. The Gray Mangrove trees grow further back from the coasts while the Large Golden Ferns occupy the most inland areas.