Hello Elaine,
I know the ants were not eating the plants, however they are cutting the leaves & removing the material to farm their particular fungus in their nest. That is what ants do. They also milk aphids for a milky fluid called honeydew they like to drink. I do not think I have seen aphid damage this extensive on a plant.
I am going to have to look up more information about this plant now that I have a lead as to what it might be. I am not sure why, but I love vine climbing plants like this. I will look for the fruits this weekend, but I dunno if I will collect it. Right now I am very short on space, but that will be changing soon.
I am buying a hectacre of and in the jungle here next week(2.47 acres).
The low growing plant seems to be recovering quite nicely. I put the specimens I collected in with my Monstera deliciosa & Monstera pinnatipartita Schott. So far it seems to like the abundance of water, & semi-shade from my monsters. From the short search I did, I think you might be right about what these are. I think they are beautiful, & bonus...they make flowers too for my wife! Sweet!
Evan, thanks for the information about the Xanthosomas being local instead of naturalized. That info will help when I build my little jungle reserve here in the jungle... hmm that doesn't sound weird does it? I want to build a place for the locals & tourists to visit to learn about the plants, & local animals too. I am going to have frogs, lizards, birds, & fish running around on the property. I should be quite happy increasing the size of my collection until I am very old. This place has half the known plant species in the world.
Noel
