Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae
Family of flowering plants including myrmecophytic genera with swollen succulent caudex, such as Hydnophytum and Myrmecodia. Tropical epiphytes of Southeast Asia.
Hydnophytum
Hydnophytum
Genus of myrmecophytic epiphytic plants from Southeast Asia with a swollen, succulent basal caudex that houses ant colonies. Ants protect the plant and provide nutrients. Belongs to the family Rubiaceae.
Lasiostoma
Lasiostoma
Genus of the Rubiaceae family with caudiciform myrmecophilous species (plants that house ant colonies in their hollow caudex). Distributed in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia. Its species form swollen tubers or caudex that serve as habitat for ants in mutualistic relationships.
Myrmecodia
Myrmecodia
Genus of the family Rubiaceae comprising epiphytic plants with a hypertrophied base full of chambers inhabited by ants (myrmecophytism). Native to the Australasian tropics, from Malaysia to the Pacific. The relationship with ants is mutualistic: ants fertilize the plant with their waste and protect it from herbivores.