ant plants

[LouisW]

I was looking around on ebay recently and I a saw a huge specimen of Bulbo. phaleanopsis. the plant was amazing but an interesting thing is that there was an ant plant growing on the mount. I was inspired and I would like to get one but i dont know to much about them. I would probably mount it like an orchid and take care of it in a similar way, but I am wondering if anyone knows anything about caring for one.

[kip]

there are a wide variety of unrelated plants known as ant plants. you'd have to find out the species you want to grow, and search for that. one of my favorites is pachycentria constricta, but i haven't been able to find a source for them, or info on growing them. there are also orchids known as ant plants (myrmecophila, some schomburgkia, some caularthron). these have hollow pseudobulbs, and the ants bring decaying leaves and insects into them, which helps to fertilize the plant. the following link has some basic info on ant plants:
Ant Plants

[katrina]

From what little I understand about the ant plants...I believe the survival of the orchid/plant requires the ants. Correct?

Here's a question though...since they are from somewhere other than the US...would our ants take to them like the ants in their native habitat?

[kip]

the survival of the plant does not require the ants. the ants provide fertilizer, and protect the plant from other insects. it is highly unlikely that our ants would choose to inhabit the plants, they would have to be very similiar to the ants found in the native habitat.

[katrina]

That makes sense on both accounts.

[LouisW]

i have been running into all kinds of odd things on my search, such as an ant fern with a big swollen bulb at the base. i was wondering if any orchids served as host to ants but you are way ahead of me kip. thanks for the info. maybe i will try to mount the epeiphytic variety from SE Asia i ordered with an orchid.

[patticake]

I have a Myrmecophila thomsoniana (used to be Schomburgkia thomsoniana) I had it on my back porch in upstate NY, when I noticed ants were climbing all over it! They were starting to chew the covering off the pseudobulbs. I flushed it with water and brought it in. It's been ant-free since. I know that the ants are beneficial to the plant, but I didn't want them in my house! I can attest to the fact that american ants like these orchids, too!

[kip]

interesting. i may have to get one of those, and see if ants move in.

[norris]

How interesting! Kip, that link is going to keep me busy for a while. It's funny how we work so hard to keep our plants 'bug free', but this thread shows that we really don't always know what's best for our plants.

[katrina]

Most insects are w/out a doubt...invaluable. They've been around WAAAAY longer than we have and I'm confident they'll still be here long after we're gone so I don't try to eradicate them all...only the ones doing damage to certain plants. With all of that said...I'm with patti...I don't want ants in my house. LOL!

However, if I had a g/h then I believe I would consider 'inviting' them to move into an ant plant. I think it would be interesting.

[LouisW]

i might not mind the ants if i could have them in an area out of the way.I am totally into that kind of thing. Interesting often beats unpleasant for me. For example on of my favorite plants is a little Bulbo. masdivallacum which i haven't had bloom yet but i have heard that it is a very pungent carrion flower.