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My Ant Plants

First the Ant Ferns.

Lecanopteris carnosa


Lecanopteris sinuosa mounted with a Vittaria species.


Hyndophytum formicarum



Close up of the caudex.


Close up of the developing fruit.


Myrmecodia sp.


Close up of the caudex.


These are the natural holes in the caudex that the ants will use for access in the wild.


Myrmecodia sp. "Pink Fruit"


Close up of the extra spiny caudex.


I sowed seeds of various species 4 weeks ago today.........here are the results.

Myrmecodia platyrea ssp. antoinii


Hydnophytum formicarum


Hydnophytum moseleyanum


Hydnophytum simplex
 
Those are insane! (insanely fascinating)
 
Always thought the ant ferns were pretty with their strange looking 'feet'.

Maybe someday, when I can keep somewhat less exotic fern alive, I may try these.
 
Great post,so alien looking.Think sinuosa likes it warmer and mine has grown puick in intermediate, so if yours struggles stick it on a windowsill;)
 
Yeah, they're definitely lowland plants. So far though, the cooler temps in the highland set up just seem to slow them down a little.
 
Beautiful!

if yours struggles stick it on a windowsill
Mine grows vigorously in front of a window, along with l. mirabilis. They're both pretty tough ferns.
 
My tw0 little antplant babies grow extremely slow for me. But then winter is cool and rather arid indoors which really seems to cramp their style.

How traumatic will it be for the seedlings when you separate them? Any idea?
 
DO you have an update on these? How long did it take for your Hydnophytum formicarum to get that big? Nice plants
 
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I've since lost the L.carnosa but the L.sinuosa has 4 or 5 new growths and just as many new leaves. The seedlings have all put on some decent size and need to be repotted and moved. There's not a whole lot to report on the others. They grow very slowly for me in the HL conditions they're grown in. They really need LL conditions to be at their best. As for the Hydnophytum, I got it at that size and have no real idea of it's age.
 
  • #11
Sorry to here you lost your carnosa,l.lomeroides grows almost as well as sinosa for me in the same conditions so maybe worth a try
 
  • #12
Agree!
How large were the seeds you planted to get babies that big so fast?

The seeds literally germinate over night. Plant the seeds......BOOM......next day, plants. They're pretty incredible.
 
  • #13
Sorry to here you lost your carnosa,l.lomeroides grows almost as well as sinosa for me in the same conditions so maybe worth a try

It was my fault I lost the plant. I let it dry out without realizing.
 
  • #14
Something to keep in mind with many of the antplants like Hydnophytum & Myrmecodia is that the seeds have a very short shelf life. The gent at the botanical garden who gave me a couple fresh (still in the fruit) seeds cautioned me to plant the seeds as soon as possible as their viability drops off rapidly over time. On the plus side, fresh seed germinates rapidly.
 
  • #15
Wow, this Hyndophytum formicarum is amazing looking! Where do you get the seeds from?
 
  • #16
You really kind of need to know someone with a fruiting plant. As mentioned, the seed loses viability very rapidly. Once the fruit is harvested, the seed should be sown within days.
 
  • #17
The seeds, or I suppose fruit, that I've received in the past were germinating in the envelope. Really puts the plodding Nepenthes into perspective.
 
  • #18
Any updates on your seedlings?
 
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