>ANT TREE - Myrmecodium, with ant colonies. An unusual plant with a
>swollen stubby trunk from which the flowers and fruit come directly.
>Your friends will want to take a closer look, but imagine their surprise
>when they find themselves covered with vicious stining ants! Good
>conversation starter. The tree is not difficult to grow and propagate,
>but we must ask a higher price because the queen ants are so difficult to
>smuggle past the border agents.
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Wow. Not only is it a dumb thing to import species of insects like that, but
it's double dumb to advertise! I'm familiar with this plant (it's a favorite
plant for botany texts)---does it need ants? I thought they just repelled
intruders like on various species of acacia. Or do they forage for nutrients?
Barry