Minecraft mangroves: how to find and plant these creepy new trees

Minecraft - A player holds a map while standing in a swamp surrounded by mangrove trees.
(Image credit: Mojang)

Trying to find Minecraft's new Mangrove Trees? Mojang has really decided to branch out this time—bringing this new tree type that's just a bit different from all the tree types we've seen so far. In real life, mangrove trees dominate their environments with huge visible root systems that give them a slightly spooky look. They're just the same in Minecraft, growing large roots and taking over the waterways of their new swampy biome.

Let's get to the root of the issue then. These huge new trees arrived as part of the 1.19 Wild Update on June 7, alongside the two new creatures: the frog mob and the Allay. Here's everything you'll want to know about finding, planting, and crafting with your new aquatic arboretum.

Where can you find Mangrove Trees? 

You won't be surprised to hear that Minecraft's mangrove trees can be found in the new Mangrove Swamp biome. During the Minecraft Live 2021 reveal, Mojang showed off the new biome full of huge mangroves. It's very pretty and just a little unsettling too, honestly. In the new swamp biome, mangrove trees tower over you, growing out of land and water both, with roots so large and winding that you can actually walk and swim beneath them. 

Real world mangrove swamps occur around the planet near tropical coasts in over one hundred countries. Mojang is definitely digging into that family tree, calling mangroves "super trees" for their role in mitigating climate change through carbon dioxide capturing and providing habitats to nearby wildlife.

How do you plant a Mangrove Tree? 

Best of Minecraft

Minecraf 1.18 key art

(Image credit: Mojang)

Minecraft update: What's new?
Minecraft skins: New looks
Minecraft mods:  Beyond vanilla
Minecraft shaders: Spotlight
Minecraft seeds: Fresh new worlds
Minecraft texture packs: Pixelated
Minecraft servers: Online worlds
Minecraft commands: All cheats

Like some other parts of the Wild Update, the new Mangrove Trees are a bit different from all the tree types that Minecraft has so far. Instead of saplings, they're grown from a similar small item called a Propagule. Unlike other tree saplings, the mangrove's propagules can be planted either on land or in water, which is a first for Minecraft. You'll spot these towering tree types growing right out of shallow pools all throughout the swamp.

Once they grow into a full tree, you can see more of the little propagules hanging down from its leaf blocks. Mangroves also have vines growing from their leaves like other swap trees. What makes them both lovely and just a little creepy to look at are their root blocks. A mangrove's trunk is propped up on a spider leg-like collection of root structures. Some even arch high enough that you'll be able to swim and boat beneath them. It certainly looks like exploring these new swamps at night may be just a little frightening.

Do Mangroves have their own wood type?

Minecraft - A mangrove wood house built in a mangrove swamp.

(Image credit: Mojang)

Yes, mangroves also bring a new wood type to Minecraft! Building fiends rejoice—there's yet another color in our palette of wood choices. Mangrove Log blocks are brown in color, about like oak. On the inside, they're very, very red. The same thing goes for turning them into Mangrove Planks, which are candy-colored in hue.

During the original reveal in 2021, Mojang had planned for mangrove wood to be orange, similar to acacia wood. It's now filling a much different spot in our wood color wheel with that bright magenta interior.

As with other types of wood, Mangrove Planks can be used to create other decorative wood pieces in the same color. There are mangrove variants of half blocks, stairs, fences, gates, signs, doors, and all the rest of the usual wood pieces. The new boats with chest also have a mangrove coloring.

Lauren Morton
Associate Editor

Lauren started writing for PC Gamer as a freelancer in 2017 while chasing the Dark Souls fashion police and accepted her role as Associate Editor in 2021, now serving as the self-appointed chief cozy games enjoyer. She originally started her career in game development and is still fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long books, longer RPGs, has strong feelings about farmlife sims, and can't stop playing co-op crafting games.