- Home >
- Blog >
- Bodhi's Garden >
- Ant Plant
Ant Plant
Posted on August 2, 2014.
Myrmecodia solomonensis
This plant lives in a symbiotic relationship with a colony of ants. Hollow tunnels form inside the caudex (the swollen base of the stem) with external entrance holes, and ants can use the plant as an above-ground nest. In exchange, the ants provide nutrients for the plant in the form of their droppings, and defend the plant from other insects.
Scientific classification: |
|
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Angiosperms |
| Class: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Genus: | Myrmecodia |
| Species: | solomonensis |
Natural habitat and growing conditions:
Native to the Solomon islands, this ant plant for sale is an ultra-tropical epiphyte (living on tree branches, though not as a parasite). It requires constant warmth, high humidity, and bright light to perform well. A resident colony of ants is not required if the plant is fertilized occasionally, though it has a fairly limited root system. It can be grown mounted, or in an airy potting mix; long-fiber sphagnum seems to work well if given perfect drainage.
Notes of interest:
- The symbiosis with ants allows the plant to grow in otherwise nutrient-poor locations on tree branches with little or no substrate; the ants effectively deliver nutrients back to the plant from a much larger area than the roots could ever get.
- Yet another example of convergent evolution, many other plant groups have independently evolved symbiotic relationships with ants, using them for pollination, seed distribution, nutrient sources or defense. Some are even obligate mutualisms-- the ants and plants are completely interdependent and cannot survive on their own.
2 thoughts on “Ant Plant”
Blog Categories
MMJ Disclaimer
Please note, our Knowledge Center contains references to and images of all plants, including cannabis.
Archives
-
2018
November
October
August
Cultivation Cast | Nutrients Introducing Black Dog LED's Webcast Series Cultivation Cast | The Grow Cycle Cultivation Cast | Hanging Heights and LightingJuly
June
May
April
2017
2016
December
November
October
July
March
January
2015
December
November
October
September
August
Which is better: UVA or UVB? Black Dog LED praised as, “the Best LED Light for Production, Performance, and Price.” What is the Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) of Black Dog LED Grow Lights? Maximizing yield with LED grow lights How many lights can I run on a circuit?July
April
March
February
Light Cycles Explained Increase Weight with Advanced LED Plant Lighting Technology Black Dog LED Research Demonstrates Plant-Optimized Grow Lights Require Warmer Grow Rooms Black Dog LED Featured In CannaInsider Interview on Cannabis Genome Research Come See Black Dog LED at the Maximum Yield Seattle Indoor Gardening Show March 7th & 8thJanuary
BDL Workshop #3: Giving Your Outdoor Vegetable Garden the Best Possible Start Indoors Grafting Tomatoes for a Better Harvest How to Start your Outdoor Vegetable Garden Indoors under LED Grow Lights Black Dog LED Grow Light Featured in Weed World Magazine A Beginner’s Guide to Controlling the Smell of Cannabis Plants2014
December
How Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights Work Passionflower The Benefits of LED Grow Lights The Best Grow Lights – Fluorescent vs. LED Grow Tents for Convenient Indoor GardeningNovember
BDL Adds Store Locator Feature to Website What are LED Grow Lights? 2+ Pounds from a Platinum XL-U The Eternal Harvest- A Journey into Perpetual Marijuana Gardening Under Recreational Laws, Part OneOctober
How to Set Up a Carbon Filter for Ideal Odor Control Black Dog LED Founder/Owner Corey Drew Interviewed Again on The Adam Dunn Show Alocasia cuprea Black Dog LED Q&A with Medical Marijuana Tampa Institute MulberrySeptember
9 Nutritious Plants That You Can Grow Indoors Easily Peacock Plant Sensitive Plant Black Dog LED Options For Your Garden Brookside Secondary School Grows with Black Dog LED Grow LightsAugust
Ant Plant Free Cloning Workshop Hosted by Black Dog LED Sapodilla Hybrid Moth Orchid Black Dog LED to Provide Exclusive Lighting to Medical Marijuana Tampa InstituteJuly
Kevin Frender to Speak at Aquaponics Fest 2014 The Black Dog Frangipani 'Dwarf Singapore Pink' Tropical Hibiscus 'Erin Rachel' Tassle FernMay
April
2013
September
Black Dog LED Launches LED Grow Glasses with Method Seven HPS vs. LED Grow Lights Time Lapse Grow with CannabisApril
January
2012
December
Black Dog LED Announces Addition of BDmicro-U to Universal Series Product Line Press Release - Black Dog LED Adds Exclusive Grow Room Packages to Product LineNovember
October
August
July
May
April
March
2011
November
October
September
August
Do you have this plant possibly for sale? thankx
We do have quite a few large seedlings; give us a call at 720-420-1209 -- if we can ship it to your state, we can work something out. They are very unique and fun plants, and in the right conditions they can grow fairly quickly. They certainly seem to flourish under our LED grow lights!