Hydnophytum sp. 'Roundish Caudex' (Wondiwoi)

This previously undescribed, small ant plant originates from the Wondiwoi Mountains on the Wandammen Peninsula in the north of the Indonesian province of West Papua on the island of New Guinea.

This is a small Hydnophytum species. The caudex of older plants is ball-shaped, with striking, large holes and raised, bulbous edges. It produces numerous, very long branches, which can be regularly pruned to keep it compact. The branches later spread horizontally and no longer grow upright. The leaves are slightly velvety on the upper surface and a light green – a very cool look for an ant plant!

The tiny flowers are white and inconspicuous. The fruits are small, shiny, and red.

Due to its small final size and compact growth, it is an ideal terrarium plant for anyone who wants to acquire a truly bizarre rarity.





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Hydnophytum are so-called "ant plants" from the Rubiaceae family. They are widespread from Southeast Asia to Australia and from Papua to the Solomon Islands, and usually grow epiphytically on trees. They belong to the myrmecodomen ant plants, meaning they provide nesting sites for ants. Their thickened stem, also called a "caudex," is riddled with numerous tunnels and chambers inhabited by specialized ants, mostly from the genus Philidris . The ants do not create the chambers or the entrances themselves; these are formed solely by the plant, regardless of whether ants are present or not.

The plant has a mutually beneficial relationship with the ants that live in it. The ants protect the plant and their nest, and fertilize it with leftover food, droppings, and other waste. The plant contains several different types of chambers: some with smooth walls and others with warty walls. The warty chambers, in particular, are specially adapted for absorbing nutrients. The ants use the smooth chambers for nesting and the warty chambers as a waste disposal site, thus supplying the plant with nutrients. In some highly specialized ant-inhabiting plants, the ants even pollinate the flowers and plant the seedlings!

Over many years, the colonies of ants and ant-attracting plants spread across a tree, and other epiphytes associated with ants, such as Hoya , Dischidia , Lecanopteris , and orchids, also join them. A so-called " ant garden " is created.

Not every ant-friendly plant is actually inhabited by ants in nature. In fact, there are numerous species where ants have never been detected! This also means that no ant-friendly plant necessarily needs an ant colony to survive or thrive. All of our cultivated ant-friendly plants are, of course, ant-free! The caudex forms exactly the same way as it does in nature, even without ants.



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You will receive a young plant in a 5.5cm pot (see picture 3 in the gallery).