|
The
flowers.
 The
caudex.
Bruce
Brethauer's photo from Missouri Botanical Garden. 20 centimetres in
diameter.
In
the bottom of the small pot was a nest of common garden ants.
Might be a coincident, but it is an ant plant.
|
|
This member of the Melastomataceae family was
described by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1870. It's found in Ecuador and Peru, grows in
well-drained soil with quite some water and sun. The flowers are white to pale
pink, and it
can only be reproduced by seeds.
Frank Omilian has this tip: Sprout them on long fibre sphagnum, kept moist.
This is one of the ant plants.
There are members in the
Apocynaceae, Fabaceae, Melastomataceae, Orchidaceae, Polypodiaceae and
Rubiaceae families. I actually got an ants nest in one of my plants.
Newer had it before in any plants, but it might be a coincident. Photos
in the bottom of the page.
Some claims this plant needs
temperatures over 25 C, but mine are doing fine with 20 C.
|
