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Dischidia sp. (bengalensis?) Matarombeo, Sulawesi Tenggara


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Dischidia bengalensis Colebr. (Henry Thomas Colebrooke), published in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London vol. 12, (near p357) illustration below, tab. 15, (1818).

http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/13691#page/379/mode/1up

A brief description in Fl. Brit. India 4(10), p50, (1885).

http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/388580#page/54/mode/1up .

A true ant-garden epiphyte according to (Kaufmann 2002.) and (Orivel & Leroy 2011.)

http://www.publicpriorart.org/xml/20/1/1/2284/73711/20.1.1.2284.73711.xml

Description. Stems succulent to 4 mm Ø, and leaves that are supposedly unique in the genus being “flat in x-section and oblanceolate in outline, with a retuse apex and entire margins. As these leaves age they become nearly round in x-section and obtuse at the apex” thus comprising a fourth type not shown in the Dischidia sections used herein. However, if this is correct them D. litoralis a species that (Rintz 1980) sunk erroneously in to this species should also have such unique leaves. I cannot see that a fourth leaf type is justified.

Habitat. Common from sea level to one record of 1700 m (5578 ft.) on Gunung Tahan, Peninsular Malaysia, but less common in dense forest, a very common feature of ant-house species.

Range, enormous, from N. E. India (Assam), across South Thailand, South Burma, Indochina, and down through Peninsular Malaysia, the Islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Sulawesi, Moluccas, Philippines, New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago. (Rintz 1980). An excerpt from my book.

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Hi Jeff,

 

have you a flower section?

 

Oh! Just a few minutes, I have just to return to Sulawesi, I re-find this plant and I do a photo of a sectioned flower. Easy!

 

Of course, all the pictures I had send are all the pictures I have...And if you take a few seconds to see the photos, you'll see that this plant wasn't blooming when I saw it.

 

The best,

 

Aurelien

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Hi Jeff,

 

but like a lot of plants , the flower section may be a very good complementary infos ;)

 

Unluckyly, my magic wand doesn't work this day. I try to make appear some flowers on this plant, but I haven't any success.

 

For your second question, the elevation was under 500m, nearly under the ecuador.

 

As D. bengalensis have a really large repartition and is really polymorphic, what do you think of it, Derrick ?

 

The best,

 

Aurelien

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As D. bengalensis have a really large repartition and is really polymorphic, what do you think of it, Derrick ?

Due to my lack of experience with dischidias, plus the need for much more work on the genus and the image's lack of flower detail, I would be very hesitant to positively name your image Aurelien.  Like so many of my images taken in habitat their instructional value is limited. Your example may tell us what one population of D. bengalensis looks like. I certainly cannot claim it is not D. bengalensis and of course future work may split it into more species as has happened in so many other similarly widespread 'names'.  Tatyana Livshultz  might venture a guess and may also find the photo useful.  

   The question of whether it is myrmecodomic is perhaps a matter of one's personal semantics.  When a resident of ant gardens, D. bengalensis helps to provide homes for ant colonies.  Research has shown that ant garden nests rapidly disintegrate without the presence of their protective plants, therefore the relationship for the plant is probably optional but for both species it is mutualistic. 

The subject of ant gardens is fascinating. See http://www.publicpriorart.org/xml/20/1/1/2284/73711/20.1.1.2284.73711.xml

PS. Incidentally, the photos surely show this plant is attractive to ants.

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we have nevertheless with herbarium sheets and RINTZ document
leaf shape, a section of the corolla and shape of pollen. It is not nothing.

 

D.bengalensis does not seem myrmecodomic alone.
 
for the hanging gardens is an other stories, we can say that all plant components such gardens are myrmecophytes or myrmecodomic(araceae,bromeliaceae,moraceae,solanaceae ,etc) there is symbiosis ?
 
jeff
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1. we have nevertheless with herbarium sheets and RINTZ document  leaf shape, a section of the corolla and shape of pollen. It is not nothing.

2. D.bengalensis does not seem myrmecodonic alone.
3. for the hanging gardens is an other stories, we can say that all plant components such gardens are myrmecophytes or myrmecodomic (araceae, bromeliaceae, moraceae, solanaceae ,etc) there is symbiosis ?

Statement 1. Rintz worked on Malayan Peninsula species; therefore, his work is limited for a species that occurs across such a vast area of southern Asia. Also, it is very unlikely that herbarium specimens provide sufficient examples to cover the vast range of this species.  Yes "it is not nothing" but it certainly is insufficient to provide absolute proof of the status of Aurelien's image which lack's diagnostic features. The question regarding its taxonomic status will probably remain unresolved. However, having said that I would be very interested in Dr Tatyana Livschultzs' opinion. 

Statement 2. It is a true ant-garden epiphyte according to (Kaufmann 2002.) and (Orivel & Leroy 2011.) whom have higher qualifying criteria.  This is fully explained in my latest book along with links to both of these important studies.

Statement 3. Both Kaufmann and Orivel et al. define what they consider are true myrmecophyte species. PLEASE read my latest book.

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we have in FRANCE a very good specialist  for all these problems  Dr pierre JOLIVET to faith, entomologist and biologist ;)

 

 

statement 2 : yes, why not  D.bengalensis in a ant garden,  but alone is not myrmecodomic .

 

jeff

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  • 1 month later...

Dischidia bengalensis is highly vairiable (maybe the most variable species in the genus).  The specimen in the original post matches very closely to a specimen I grow which has been confirmed as D. bengalensis.  Would still need flowers but given the succulent nature of the stems and how the internodes are spaced, it very likely is D. bengalensis.

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