• Writer: Andrew Tay • Photos: Ang Weijen • •Available online 29
Jan 2005
• Updated on 8 Jan 06 • For growers of weird but wonderful plantlife, nothing beats the ant plants Hydnophytum formicarum and Myrmecodia tuberosa. Both of these unique plants have a tuber-like lower stem with chambers formed within which attract ants to colonise the structure. In this symbiotic or mutually beneficial relationship, ants get a multiplex while the ant plants, in return, get big brother protection from herbivores, as well as nutrients from ant debris.
These species are epiphytic shrubs which grow perched on trees in rainforest and mangrove. H. formicarum has multiple stems with small leaves atop its globular, smooth tuber, while M. tuberosa usually has only a single stem produced from an elongated, spikey tuber with a tuft of long leaves at the tip. For H. formicarum, the tuber can grow up to 15 inches in diameter. Both are native to Singapore. H. formicarum is a locally rare species restricted to our nature reserves. M. tuberosa may unfortunately already be locally extinct as it has not been recorded from any part of our island for a long time. Hopefully, it may still survive on the mainland in an off-limits military training area, or perhaps on an offshore island such as Pulau Tekong. But luckily, both species are quite widespread in South-east Asia. PROPAGATION
Fortunately also, these plants are mostly self-fertile and produce many berry fruits. These berries turn red or orange when ripe, attracting fruit-eating birds which disperse the seeds. Hydnophytum's berry usually has two seeds while the fruit of Myrmecodia contains up to six seeds. In cultivation, these sprout quickly when sown on coconut husk and kept constantly moist. Seeds must be sown fresh as old, dried up seeds rarely germinate. As the seedling emerges, its lower stem, or hypocotyl, immediately swells. Three month-old young plants are really cute, with round, tubby tubers. Plants start producing holes in their tubers when a few months old. Care should be taken to make sure they get enough bright light as otherwise they elongate and go out of their desirable fat shape. Low light conditions will also encourage more leaf growth at the expense of a fatter tuber. My ant plants are grown along the common corridor of my apartment which faces slightly north-south, and I get some sun on my plants year-round. POTTING MIX I grow ant plants in a very open, well-drained mix of bark pieces plus a little chopped coconut husk in pots. For seedlings, the top dressing should be finer to help retain moisture. More mature plants prefer less potting mix which dry out faster between waterings, and they show it by producing profuse, healthy root growth. WATER I water every night or once every two days, and make sure my plants dry out slightly in between. Being epiphytic, ant plants are quite succulent and can tolerate dryness well. Like cactus, too wet for too long and they will rot away. FERTILISER I believe in organic gardening and prefer not to use chemical pesticides and fertilisers. My plants get diluted organic fertiliser once every 2 or 3 weeks. I'm more careful feeding baby plants. They don't get fertilised till a few months old. Too much, too soon, they die. You can also use animal dung pellets, but extremely sparingly. In excessive amounts, plants will grow too fast and go out of shape on such high nitrogen diets. In the wild, ants cultivate these ant plants by building up debris around them which leaches nutrients. Trash produced by the ants also fertilise the plants. In fact, the chambers of ant plants grow specialised warts to absorb these nutrients. PESTS & DISEASES With their spiny, warty tubers, ant plants look as if they are suffering from some skin disease. In cultivation, my plants are rarely attacked by the usual mealy bug or scale pests. Root mealy bug is sometimes found when I re-pot plants but I simply rinse them off under the tap. If I do get an infestation of pests, I swipe with a cotton bud dipped in a dilution of dish-washing liquid. Chemical pesticides are toxic to us as well as wildlife! WILDLIFE WELCOMED! I love to see other 'more welcomed' wildlife visiting my plants. My house gecko makes a home in the holes of my larger ant plants. Flowerpeckers and sunbirds visit them to sip nectar from the flowers and pick off the juicy berries. My highrise garden attracts all kinds of glittering gem-like jumping spiders. Occasionally, I get a baby mantid, or a lime-green shield bug. Once I observed a caterpillar (moth perhaps) nibble and make its cocoon on one of my ant plants, but the damage was restricted to a couple of leaves only. My house ants colonise the ant plants as they mature. Most people think it crazy to grow ant plant condominiums, but so far I've not had any serious ant problems in my apartment. It all boils down to not leaving cookie crumbs in your bed, that's all. VARIETIES In Singapore, ant plants are not commercially available but via exchange only from specialist plant growers. The ant plants brought into Singapore for cultivation usually originate from Thailand's Chatuchak weekend market. This market offers a form of Hydnophytum which is similar to the Singapore species. Another kind of Hydnophytum grown here has succulent leaves and so can tolerate more dryness. It is quite ornamental, producing profuse bright red berries. This is the easiest to grow here as it seems to like windy sunny HDB corridor conditions. Our Singapore species is a bit more temperamental, having adapted to its cool, misty rainforest habitat. In the forests of Peninsular Malaysia, one may come across M. tuberosa. In shady locations, its main stem and tuber is elongated and can dangle down to a length of 3 feet. In an exposed perch, the plant is more a spiny, ridged globe with tufts of leaves. Sometimes, seedlings may be seen growing piggyback on a big plant. OTHER ANTPLANT GENERA Apart from Hydnophytum and Myrmecodia, the 3 other genera within this group of ant plants are Anthorrhiza (Papua New Guinea), Myrmephytum (PNG, Philippines) and Squamellaria, which is endemic to the Fiji islands. These 3 genera are not, or rare, in cultivation. Some European and American nurseries commercially offer a few species of the first 2 genera. I look forward to the time when more species are propagated and made available to enthusiasts. CONSERVATION
Ant plants are easy to grow from seed, and therefore plants should not be collected from the wild. Plants of wild origin should also not be purchased from shops or nurseries as this will encourage further collection, to the point of endangering the species' status in the wild. ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS OF THIS ARTICLE Andrew Tay and Ang Weijen, both Singaporeans, are passionate about floral odds and ends, from epiphytic ant plants, miniature orchid species, Tillandsias, to rainforest trees, weeds and medicinal plants. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Green Culture Singapore would like to thank Andrew for contributing this informative article and Weijen for excellent photographs.
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