Myrmecodia tuberosa

Myrmecodia tuberosa
Myrmecodia tuberosa at the Huntington Museum of Art
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Myrmecodia
Species:
M. tuberosa
Binomial name
Myrmecodia tuberosa
Jack

Myrmecodia tuberosa, the ant plant, is an epiphytic plant.[1] The species has a symbiotic relationship with some ant species where ants use the hollow body of the plant as shelter, defend the plant from other insects, and provide nutrients to the plant through their waste.[2]

  • Myrmecodia tuberosa seedling
    Myrmecodia tuberosa seedling
  • Myrmecodia tuberosa young plant
    Myrmecodia tuberosa young plant

References

  1. ^ Janzen, Daniel H. (1974). "Epiphytic Myrmecophytes in Sarawak: Mutualism Through the Feeding of Plants by Ants". Biotropica. 6 (4): 237–259. Bibcode:1974Biotr...6..237J. doi:10.2307/2989668. JSTOR 2989668 – via JSTOR.
  2. ^ "Myrmecodia tuberosa". National Tropical Botanical Gardens. Retrieved 2022-09-21.