The fern and its ants.

Ant fern:

The scientific name is Myrmecopteris Lomarioides and its common name is ant fern.

This name stems from the fact that the plant maintains a symbiosis with ants, but it only does so in its natural habitat. The ants are placed between the branched roots of this plant where they live and the plant also feeds on them. In its natural habitat it’s an epiphytic plant but in aerial pots it can grow perfectly maintaining the humidity conditions necessary for its survival.

This fern has its leaves that are light green when they are new and become dark green as time passes. The branch of this fern is erect, and the leaves grow apart on each side of its stem.

According to the literature, it grows all over the world except where water freezes. It does not tolerate cold, much less snowfall and freezing.

I have had this fern for several years. I have taken its roots, which are very branched, tortuous and hairy. Without knowing I placed one of the roots in water and my surprise was that it germinated, it never did that before, but I accidentally broke this root when handling it and decided then to experiment with it and got a good reward for it.

Before transferring it to a pot I must wait for new ones and many roots to come out. To be sure it will thrive in its new home.

Previously, to reproduce this fern, I cut pieces of the mother plant, with roots and transplanted it to a pot to obtain another plant.

The substrate of the fern must have special gravel for ferns, I also add compost and organic fertilizer and liquid compost can be added once every two months.

Ferns, because they are epiphytic plants in a natural environment, like humidity in their leaves and in their substrate, but you have to be careful to not waterlog them, since that that rots them.