Hydnophytum radicans (ex. simplex)

Hydnophytum radicans, formerly known as Hydnophytum simplex (although its taxonomy is not yet definitively settled), originates from Papua New Guinea. The species is widespread, occurring from lowland savannahs to montane rainforests up to 1800 meters above sea level. H. radicans is likely a species complex comprising several closely related species. This species is very robust, grows quickly, and reaches a large size.

The caudex can reach up to 60 cm in diameter, and individual branches can grow up to 150 cm long. The leathery leaves are 15 to 25 cm long and up to 10 cm wide. A particularly striking feature compared to other ant plants is how smooth the caudex is. Hydnophytum simplex has only a few, but large, entrance holes in the caudex. These are often facing the substrate and therefore not visible.

The flowers are white and borne on dichotomously branched (sometimes asymmetrical) stems that branch 1-4 times. New flowers can continuously appear at the ends of the flower stems, causing them to become quite long over time. The berries are small, round, and red.

Hydnophytum radicans is a very fast-growing species. Larger specimens can easily be kept as houseplants. Young plants should be kept in terrariums or plant cabinets until the caudex is approximately the size of a golf ball.



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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).