Myrmecodia beccarii with ?pink fruit.

[Derrick]

Here are the only two reports of pink fruits found in M.beccarii that I have been able to find. "Widespread both in and out of rainforest. Flowers white, fruit pink. [seed sample taken, seeds lab. 11 Oct 1976. Pollen, NSW, 28 Oct 1976." Collected by a C. H. Gittens, in the Kutini Payamu (Iron Range) National Park Region, Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia.

   Ripe fruits quickly dry to a brown colour, so it is now impossible to check the accuracy of this claim.  However, I strongly suspect it is an error.

M.tuberosa also occurs in this region and its fruits have been described as pink. However, I consider them more translucent red than pink. Therefore, I suspect that M.tuberosa fruits have been inadvertently matched to a M.beccarii specimen.

http://biocache.ala.org.au/occurrences/b77cae0e-e22e-4a27-9458-72bb098d2c00.

Here is another claim of pink fruits in M.beccarii.

http://biocache.ala.org.au/occurrences/ec05ac5c-37a3-482b-a841-f7f450edeffe

"Cairns Inlet. Back mangrove, on Rhizophora. Leaves fleshy, midgreen (sic). Flowers white. Fruits pink, seeds 3. Photos with specimen at BRI.

This is a collection made by Dr Camilla Huxley during her early ant-plant studies. That both dates are in 1976 may also be a revealing coincidence.

I have examined numerous populations including those on Rhizophora not only along Cairns Inlet, but in numerous other sites for hundreds of kilometers along the Queensland coast. I have yet to see a single pink fruit. 

See xerophilia.ro for a pictorial series of M.beccarii

And see M.beccarii growing on Rhizophora stilted mangroves on Trinity (Cairns) Inlet

http://myrmecodia.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/157-myrmecodia-beccarii-northern-form-near-cairns-north-queensland-australia/

In summation, I strongly suspect there are no populations or even single plants with pink fruits, but my health allowing, I intend to check more populations.