Tuberous stem showing ant galleries - Specimen details
| Catalogue Number: 53750 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Image | Plant Name | 84.01 RUBIACEAE Myrmecodia beccarii | Entry Book Number | ||
| Artefact Name | Tuberous stem showing ant galleries | Vernacular Name | |||
| Iso Country | Australia | TDWG Region | Australia | ||
| Parts Held | Tuberous stem showing ant galleries | Geography Description | Australia | ||
| Uses | Tuberous stem showing ant galleriesUse: User: | TDWG use | |||
| Storage | Bottles, boxes etc | Related Items | |||
| Donor | Hill W | Donor No | |||
| Donor Date | Donor Notes | ||||
| Collector | Collector No | ||||
| Collection Notes | Collection Date | ||||
| Exhibition | Expedition | ||||
| Number Components | Publication | ||||
| Notes: | Label source: The plant here figured is one of the most singular ever imported in living state into this country, and it belongs to a genus- epiphytic Rubiaceae, which have been long known from their singular habit of forming often spinous tubers of grea, t size. Interior is galleried by ants of various sps. To enter into any details of the history of plants - In 1874, it consisted on 2 very imperfectly known genera Hydnophytum and Myrmecodia, whereas in 1884, there appeared a monograph of Signor Beccario, n insect nesting plants. Of Myrmecodia itself there are 18 sps besides this one, of which details were sent to Beccari, who did not recognize it as any of those known to him, the genus extends from Sumatra and Singapore to New Guinea, N Australia and the, Solomons Archipelago. For the plant here figured the Royal Gardens are indebted to the liberality of Messrs Veitch, who imported it from Brisbane in 1884, with the info that it was found in the gulf of Carpentaria, and is extremely rare there. In came, to Kew in Jan 1886, in seeding condition, and flowered in the following Feb, it continues to flourish as do seedling plants raised from its fruit. It requires great heat and is treated like an epiphytic orchid. I have named it after the eminent botanist, and traveller alluded to above. JDH | ||||