piscesilim: Ant plants (Read 351 times)

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piscesilim
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Ant plants
« Thread Started on 7 May, 2007, 23:08 »Ant plants is a group of plants which symbiosis with ants. The plants provive food or shelter to the ants. While the ants provide protection or nutrients to the plant.

The most famous ant plants are Myrmecodia and Hydnophytum from family Rubiaceae.
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This image is reduced by 13%, click it to view full size.


The stem at the base of the plants enlarge become a tuber. There got a lot of chambers inside the tuber which allow the ants to live inside.

While ants nest inside the tuber, they will bring the food and debris into the tuber. What left over by the ant will decay and become the nutrients for the plants.

Besides Myrmecodia and Hydnophytum , there still have a lot of ant plants from different family, includes the N. bicalcarata from Nepenthaceae and some Tillandsia from Bromeliaceae.


More info about the ant plants.
http://home.nc.rr.com/myrmecophyte/intro.html « Last Edit: 7 May, 2007, 23:15 by piscesilim »Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedLimpiscesilim
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #1 on 7 May, 2007, 23:25 »Ant plants do not eat insects but they culture insects! Cool is it!
But none of my ant plants got ants live together. Still thinking how to attract the ants to nest inside the plants. Hmm....
« Last Edit: 7 May, 2007, 23:26 by piscesilim »Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedLimDavid
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #2 on 7 May, 2007, 23:38 »Interesting plant lim. Saw it once in Cameron Highlands. Was very curious about it but did not buy it as I did not know much about it and did not know how to care for it. The tag said Ant Plant and only gave a short decription.

Are they easy to care for? Maybe you should loan your ant plant to bifurcatum and see if it will attract the whole colony of ants from the staghorn fern to your ant plant. The one that bifurcatum parents are complaining about having alot of ants. Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedMy Wantlistzakhren
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #3 on 7 May, 2007, 23:38 »Put some sugar or something on the plant? Haha. Ants can only move in if a queen comes or the whole colony moves. I'm not sure when ant colonies produce queens... Link to Post - Back to Top Loggedpiscesilim
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #4 on 7 May, 2007, 23:49 »I am still learning in ant plants culture. So far, they are easy to keep like cps.

Yes.Zakhren. Thinking to put some sugar or honey. But as what you said, ants only move when queen move. May be have to adopt the queen to live inside.

Really hope one day my ant plants will have some colonies of ants which same as Bifurcatum's staghorn fern. ha ha... really hope...
« Last Edit: 7 May, 2007, 23:52 by piscesilim »Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedLimpiscesilim
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #5 on 10 May, 2007, 22:20 »Another favorite ant plants of mine. Tillandsia caput-medusae. It's also a kind of air plants.

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More info.
http://home.nc.rr.com/myrmecophyte/bromeliad.html Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedLimDavid
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #6 on 10 May, 2007, 22:42 »
Quote: Another favorite ant plants of mine. Tillandsia caput-medusae. It's also a kind of air plants.

Oh, T. caput madusa is an ant plant? Did not know that. Nice specimen you have there. Mine is smaller than yours. Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedMy Wantlistatmccmn
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #7 on 11 May, 2007, 15:17 »Piscesilim, T. caput medusae only harbour ants as the find shelter at the leaf sheath of caput medusae or other bulbose base Tillies. The doesn't benefit much from the ants except for protection from poachers!

The ant plants like hydnophytums or mymercodias or others like lecanpteris and dischidia have hollow tubers or rather chambers specially for ants. In return, the ants will secrete formic acid which benefit the ants. A symbiosys between the ants and the plants Link to Post - Back to Top Loggedpiscesilim
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #8 on 22 May, 2007, 23:54 »Another ant plants of mine----Ants fern(Lecanopteris sinuosa)

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Check the link below for more info.
http://home.nc.rr.com/myrmecophyte/fern.html Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedLimatmccmn
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #9 on 23 May, 2007, 16:53 »Nice plant and thanks for the infos. May I know how old is your plant?
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #10 on 23 May, 2007, 17:37 »I am not sure. I keep this fern more than 6 months already. Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedLimatmccmn
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #11 on 23 May, 2007, 22:10 »Interesting plant! cool. Link to Post - Back to Top Loggedameliepoulain
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #12 on 24 May, 2007, 22:41 »andy, wanna raid the trees by the waterfall « Last Edit: 24 May, 2007, 22:42 by ameliepoulain »Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedAthene's CP Growlist
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #13 on 24 May, 2007, 23:19 »Too high up......Over 100 feet. Forget it.
Furthermore it's full of ants Link to Post - Back to Top Loggedpiscesilim
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #14 on 24 May, 2007, 23:55 »Hmm... Did you mean Hydnophytum sp. in Sungai Ara? « Last Edit: 24 May, 2007, 23:55 by piscesilim »Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedLimameliepoulain
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #15 on 24 May, 2007, 23:55 »
Quote: Too high up......Over 100 feet. Forget it.
Furthermore it's full of ants

it's not the ant's & the height that's scaring me away Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedAthene's CP Growlist
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #16 on 25 May, 2007, 8:50 »Hehehe.......not only you are afraid of that! Link to Post - Back to Top Loggedatmccmn
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #17 on 25 May, 2007, 8:55 »
Quote: Hmm... Did you mean Hydnophytum sp. in Sungai Ara?


Yep......abundantly avaliable......All are huge old specimen plant.
That makes Michael Ooi's plant looks like seedlings!
But like ameliepoulain said......it's not the ants that we are afraid of.... Link to Post - Back to Top Loggedameliepoulain
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #18 on 25 May, 2007, 14:16 »
Quote:
Quote: Hmm... Did you mean Hydnophytum sp. in Sungai Ara?


Yep......abundantly avaliable......All are huge old specimen plant.
That makes Michael Ooi's plant looks like seedlings!
But like ameliepoulain said......it's not the ants that we are afraid of....

ah well... if we survive that, we might even walk away with a winning 4D no. Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedAthene's CP Growlist
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #19 on 25 May, 2007, 14:26 »So....is it on! Wanna go........ piscesilim
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #20 on 25 May, 2007, 15:46 »
Quote:
Quote: Hmm... Did you mean Hydnophytum sp. in Sungai Ara?


Yep......abundantly avaliable......All are huge old specimen plant.
That makes Michael Ooi's plant looks like seedlings!
But like ameliepoulain said......it's not the ants that we are afraid of....

Ohh...... You know Michael Ooi...... Actually the first 2 pics were taken from his farm. I been that Sungai Ara water falls before. But didn't notice there got Hydnophytum. May be too high up the tree and I didn't see it. Hmm.... I think I have to go back to that place again to search for this ant plants. Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedLimatmccmn
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Re: Ant plants
« Reply #21 on 25 May, 2007, 17:18 »Yep..... anybody that are into orchid do know him. By the surface only.....he doesn't know me and I preffer to keep it that way.

Now talking about hydnophytum......It is a sight to behold if you really see the plant insitu. Bring along your camera. That will be helpful. Cheers

[lisham]

Ok.... I got a Q... I bought 1 big pot of that pouchie-pouchie climbing vine ant plant....

Cheap... RM6, but no pouch.

How do I pouchiefy the plant ah? Thanks... :D

[Robert]

Originally Posted by lisham

Ok.... I got a Q... I bought 1 big pot of that pouchie-pouchie climbing vine ant plant....

Cheap... RM6, but no pouch.

How do I pouchiefy the plant ah? Thanks... :D

Lisham,any photo of the plant?

[plantlover]

I bought one too!! Just RM 15+ with pouch!!

[powersensor]

Hi lisham and plantlover,

Are you guys refering to Dischidia Pectinoides?
http://www.rareflora.com/dischidiapec.htm

[plantlover]

Correct!!!

[powersensor]

I just got a Dischidia Pectinoides yesterday for RM8. It comes in a hanging shell (apparently imported from Thailand).

I was told by the seller that if the leaves look a bit redish and hardly any pouches , it means it is low on nutriens. Just fertilize it with orgainic fertilizer (2 to 3 balls will do). Not to use the chemical fertilizer (those pink colored balls). I have never tried that yet and don't know whether it is good or bad advise.

Anyway, I am also just starting to learn how to take care of this cute looking plant. The pouches looks like money bags .

Oh. I hope my Ant Plant will gather big ants for me to feed my hungry VFT.

[plantlover]

I have 4 Dischidia Pectinoides in a shell from Thailand too and its green(one of them is yellowish green) and its ultra'easy to look after. Step by step on how to grow them

step 1
Water and place in sunny location

Step 2
Leave alone

Step 3
Leave alone

Step 4
Leave alone

Step 5
See if it lives.