What? Succulents from the Philippines?
Over the last five or so years writing Succulentophile, quite a few people have asked me if there are any cacti or succulents that are naturally occurring in the Philippines. Because some of these succulents have adapted so well to our tropical environment and are seen growing as hedges in front of homes or have become regular landscape material for various purposes all around buildings, homes and parks some actually think these succulents are naturally occurring in our country.
Some of the usual suspects include Euphorbia lactea and cousins, which many use as beautiful hedges around their perimeter walls. These can be seen growing quite robustly across many Metro Manila homes and are useful because the thickness of the growth and the thorns on these plants act as a natural “barbed wire” and protection for the homes. Also, Euphorbias contain a poisonous milky sap, which, if it comes in contact with your eyes, can cause temporary blindness. If ingested, you’re going to have a nasty digestive bout, and too much of it internally could even be fatal. So this is a really wonderful, natural barrier against would-be thieves and “akyat-bahays.” Sadly, I have seen some of these magnificent Euphorbia hedges slowly decaying away, in a large part due to our ever-increasing pollution levels. Euphorbia lactea is actually native to other tropical Asian countries, mainly India.
Two other usual suspects are the ubiquitous Opuntia and various Agave species. These you can see growing all over Metro Manila and even in the provinces. Connie Yuchengco Gonzalez has lined the street leading to her beautiful Tagaytay farm with Opuntias, which are absolutely thriving in the crisp Tagaytay climate. Connie has even prepared delectable salad dishes using chopped Opuntia pads as a key ingredient! It’s rather easy then for us to think that these well-established succulents are from our country. But we aren’t the only ones who can be faulted for this misconception.
During our recent trip to Barcelona (and, I must add, upon unrelenting insistence from the kids), we took the train to Port Aventura, a massive Disney-like amusement park almost two hours away from the city center en route to Tarragona (great roller-coaster rides for the boys, I must admit). Along the way, we saw huge Opuntia trees and Agave Americana growing wild all along the Mediterranean coastline. We also had a chance to visit the architectural visionary Antoni Gaudi’s famous Park Guell, where the artist had various plantings of Opuntia and Agave all over the park. Locals in Barcelona actually think these plants are naturally occurring in their area. But these plants are only endemic to the Americas, mainly in Mexico. These were obviously brought centuries ago by the galleon traders plying the Atlantic, and have now become a permanent feature of Barcelona’s landscape.
All cacti are endemic to the Americas (the New World, as the explorers called it). But other succulents are found worldwide. And believe it, the Philippines has a few succulents that are naturally occurring in our islands. Our succulent species are part of a large grouping of plants with thickened stem bases called caudiciforms. The following information was culled from various Internet websites on caudiciforms:
The term “caudiciform” is not a true biological term. It is a descriptive term for those plants that have developed thickened or swollen bases as a direct result of living in unfavorable climates, and were forced to adapt themselves to survive long periods of drought or a general lack of nutrition. There are thousands of different, beautiful, even weird caudiciforms in the world. Some hide beneath the soil and send out vegetation only after it has rained. Most develop “trunks” or caudexes that store whatever it takes to survive long periods of deprivation. Others developing these caudexes or thickened stems are epiphytic, growing on the branches and stems of trees in rainforests. Our Philippine examples are of this latter variant. The two Philippine species highlighted today are Hydnophytum formicarum and Myrmecodia tuberosa, also known as ant-plants, because over their evolution, these plants have developed a symbiotic relationship with ants. These are also becoming increasingly popular with both local and international collectors.
An article published by Plummer in the Cactus and Succulent Journal of America 72: 142-147 (2000) entitled “Cultivation of the epiphytic ant-plants Hydnophytum and Myrmecodia” may be accessed in the University of Connecticut’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences website. I have taken certain excerpts from this publication:
“When we think of interactions between insects and plants in cultivation, we tend to focus on pollination or the depredations of herbivores. In nature, however, those interactions can be far more complex. Some of the most interesting symbiotic relationships involve ants and specialized plants known as myrmecophytes, which possess structures that house ant colonies. In some cases, the plants also provide food for the ants in the form of nectar or protein-rich Beltian bodies. In exchange, the myrmecophytes receive nutrients or protection from herbivores. Two genera of myrmecophytes, Hydnophytum and Myrmecodia, are of particular interest to caudiciform enthusiasts.
“Hydnophytum and Myrmecodia are members of the Hydnophytinae, a subtribe of the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Most species of both genera are epiphytes, though a few grow as terrestrials in nutrient-poor highlands. In Hydnophytum and Myrmecodia, as well as the related genera Anthorrhiza, Myrmephytum, and Squamellaria, the base of the stem develops into a large tuber. Tissue dies back within the tuber to form a series of galleries connected to entrance holes on the surface. In some cases, tiny pores further ventilate the chambers. The chambers provide excellent nest sites for ants. The primary benefit of the ant inhabitants to the plant is nutritional — in Myrmecodia, the internal galleries are divided into dry, smooth-walled chambers that the ants inhabit and warty chambers where they dump their garbage. The galleries of Hydnophytum are less specialized, but the warts tend to be clustered at the ends of the chambers.
“Despite their close relationship, it is easy to distinguish Hydnophytum from Myrmecodia. Myrmecodia tend to have just one or a few thick, unbranched stems with large leaves (exceptions are M. lamii and M. beccarii). The stems of Myrmecodia are frequently covered with clypeoli, unusual shield-like structures surrounding each leaf base. The clypeoli may be bordered with spines, and they give the stem a curious armored appearance. It should be noted, however, that in some Myrmecodia species, the clypeoli are obscure or absent. Myrmecodia flowers form in hollows called alveoli, which develop along the stem between the clypeoli. Hydnophytum have thinner stems with longer internodes and smaller leaves. They often have multiple stems, which can be branched. The stems lack clypeoli and alveoli.
“The range of Hydnophytum extends from Malaysia and the Philippines south to the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, and east as far as Fiji. It includes southern Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Myrmecodia has a similar but slightly more restricted range, with the highest species diversity in New Guinea. Unlike many epiphytes, ant-plants are quite rare in lowland rainforests. A more typical habitat is open woodland where the plants are exposed to bright light; in a myrmecophyte habitat, nutrient availability probably limits growth, while in deep forest, lack of light would reduce the benefit from additional nutrients provided by ants. The plants are found more frequently on branches than trunks and can be very common in disturbed habitat such as plantations.”
I recently acquired my Myrmecodia and Hydnophytum specimens (and the Dioscorea macrostachya shown here) from Purificacion Orchids, so I am new to growing these Philippine succulents. The specimens I acquired are quite well established and are growing on orchid bark to mimic the way these grow in the wild. I keep them in a bright spot that receives a couple of hours of morning sun each day, and I water them daily in the morning and afternoon. You can also grow these plants in pots with a mixture of peat and perlite, or with a combination of sphagnum moss and chopped bark. The important thing is that the growing medium must be able to retain moisture for a period of time. I think one of the principal causes of morbidity in these plants is keeping them too dry for too long.
While I haven’t experienced it yet, I understand that pests that attack cacti and succulents in our country are also the common pests of these ant-plants, primarily scales. Unfortunately, this pest may be distributed by the ants themselves. Anyway, the ants haven’t discovered my plants yet. But since these plants rely on ants also for some of their nutrients (via the ant’s excrements or dead bodies), it might be useful to spray your plants with a dilute balanced fertilizer mixture similar to the one used for succulents. Once or twice a month may suffice, but again, I’m still trying to figure out how to grow these plants myself. To be honest, I’ve seen some of these plants directly removed from their forest habitats and sold in some plant shows and stores for a measly sum of P50 to P100 each. These have a difficult time re-establishing and most of them die out. But well-tended Myrmecodia and Hydnophytum are able to produce plantlets along their stems that can be detached and rooted, and so seem relatively easy to propagate. I think the key is to keep them in a bright spot but shaded from direct sunlight for most of the day and to keep their growing medium moist. I hope more propagated sources become available soon so that indiscriminate sellers don’t have to rape and pillage these plants from our forests.
