Myrmecodia beccari

An Australian ‘ant plant’ with a swollen, tuberous base and thick branches bearing oblong leathery leaves. The tuber is spiny and has openings to inside chambers that, in nature, house ants. These ants have a symbiotic relationship with the plant and in exchange for housing, leave nutrients inside the chambers and provide a measure of protection against predators. However, these ants do not occur in cultivated plants. White flowers are borne in cavities along the stems, followed by small fruit. A curiosity as an epiphytic caudiciform plant, it grows well in a basket or potted in well-draining media. A good mix is orchid bark or mix with sphagnum added.