Most photos on
this page are from
Frank Omilian, Michigan. All are
Myrmecodia platytyrea
subspecies antoinii, grown in american collections.
On the other subspecies, Myrmecodia platytyrea subspecies
platytyrea, the shield shaped structures along the stem are
noticeably longer than wide.




Photo by
Frank Omilian |
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This member of the Rubiaceae
family was described by Odoardo Beccari in 1884. It is found in the rainforests
of Papua New Guinea and Cape York, Australia. It is an epiphyte,
needs lots of water but not much sun. The caudex will grow to 20 centimetres in diameter, the stems can reach for
30 centimetres. The
flowers are white (15 or 16 mm long), and the plant can only be reproduced by
seeds.
Myrmecodia
antoinii, Beccari 1884, has been moved to a subspecies of Myrmecodia platytyrea
by Huxley & Jebb in 1993.
SubFamily: Rubioideae
Tribe: Psychotrieae
SubTribe: Hydnophytinae
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