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Myrmecodia beccarii Cape York


Ash

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Hello,

 

Many ant plant lovers are perhaps not aware that Myrmecodia beccarii Hook f. also occurs far up on Cape York. Here it is very well armed with spines but retains all its other familiar features such as white fruits, thick and succulent leaves and a rather dumpy growth habit. This photo is of such a plant taken on one of my favourite bushwalks where one can observe all of Australia's Rubiaceae ant plants growing in close proximity. It was from Cape York, on the Gulf of Carpentaria side that Myrmecodia beccarii was first described.

 

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best regards

 

Ash

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Hello Ashley. Welcome, it is fantastic to have someone with your experience join us. "Many ant plant lovers are perhaps not aware that Myrmecodia beccarii Hook f. also occurs far up on Cape York." This is very interesting as popular opinion certainly has been that there were no hydnophytes on the Gulf of Carpentaria coast (except toward the narrow tip of the Cape).   Yet entomologist Greg Daniels (who is acquainted with all native Myrmecodia species) reported a possibly new white-fruited Myrmecodia species in the restricted Aboriginal lands north of the Weipa mining reserve (Mapoon area) .  I guess he failed to link it with M. beccarii because of such popular misconceptions. 

    I wonder what the genetic differences might be in such widely separated populations growing in rather different climates. 

PS. This following entry in the famous Curtis Botanical magazine (1886) reports a collection on the Gulf coast but I had considered it to be an error.  http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/14240#page/97/mode/1up

PPS. This report tends to confuse things. http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8976437#page/208/mode/1up

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It certainly is remarkable that such an unusual species as M.beccarii that was FIRST collected in 1770 on the Endeavour River near Cooktown  in North Queensland (where the species is very common) on Captain Cook's famous voyage of discovery was not lectotyped until 1886. It is very possibly a result of collection practices that relied ( too much?) on pressed specimens. It is of course very difficult to press hydnophyte tubers. 

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It certainly is remarkable that such an unusual species as M.beccarii that was FIRST collected in 1770 on the Endeavour River near Cooktown  in North Queensland (where the species is very common) on Captain Cook's famous voyage of discovery was not lectotyped until 1886. It is very possibly a result of collection practices that relied ( too much?) on pressed specimens. It is of course very difficult to press hydnophyte tubers. 

 

Derrick - Yes it does seem that some of Banks' and Solander's collections from Cooktown (although very famous) were not used as types until long after they were collected, and until long after the species were even well known and being grown and named in Europe. A most curious observation. Ash 

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Bonjour

 

the drupe are always white or sometimes pink  (pale pink) ?

 

jeff

 

I have only observed white drupes on Myrmecodia beccarii. Perhaps someone else has further observations. In my area, and in my experience the dark pink drupes are found on Myrmecodia 'tuberosa papuana'

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Bonjour

 

from M.beccarii   H&J  have noted   drupe(fruit) : pink   then may be pale pink nearly white  no?

 

from M .tuberosa "papuana"  H&J have noted   drupe(fruit) : orange-red (pink)

 

do you think that UV rays can alter the color of the fruit   ?

 

jeff

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Quoting Ashley, "This photo is of such a plant taken on one of my favourite bushwalks where one can observe all of Australia's Rubiaceae ant plants growing in close proximity. 

Ashley. Does this include M. tuberosa that I have yet to find further north than Iron Range.

 

 

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