Myrmecodia sp. 'Passport'

This ant plant resembles Myrmecodia alata , but is generally more robust and has longer leaves. It was found in the Baliem Valley in the central highlands of the Indonesian province of Papua Pegunungan in West Papua.

Myrmecodia sp. Passport develops a very spiny caudex with branched spines. The stem is also spiny, or rather, the alveoli are hairy. It grows very compactly with a rather small caudex and short stem, and is therefore not as space-spreading as other Myrmecodia species .

As is typical for Myrmecodia, the plant usually has only one main stem, which grows longer and thicker but branches little or not at all. The shield-shaped structures on the stem are striking. These are called clypeoli. They often have spines or hairs along their edges. The leaves, up to 20 cm long and about 10 cm wide, grow from the front end of the clypeoli. The flowers emerge from the alveoli between the clypeoli. These depressions in the stem protect the developing, delicate flowers until they are ready to open. The flowers are white, about 5 to 8 mm in size, and only open for a few days. After a short time, elongated, orange fruits develop from the flowers.

Myrmecodia sp. 'Passport' grows quickly with proper care and is a good ant plant for beginners. It is best kept in a terrarium or a plant display case.







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Myrmecodia 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 mostly 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). Myrmecodia plants develop corky growths on their leaves. These are not pests!