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Duroia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. The genus is found from Costa Rica to tropical South America.
A number of Duroia species, and possibly all, are capable of biochemical interactions inhibiting the growth of neighbouring plants. Analysis of root extracts from Duroia hirsuta have yielded a strong plant growth inhibitor plumericin, a tetracyclic iridoid lactone. This process, common amongst plants, is termed allelopathy. In the case of Duroia hirsuta, the chemical inhibitor is aided by the leafcutter ant Myrmelachista schumanni resident on and in the tree, and playing an active role in suppressing and destroying plant growth in the vicinity of their host by injecting and spraying formic acid. The area around the understory species Duroia hirsuta is often devoid of all other plant types, leading to the local name 'Devil's garden'. The cost to the host plant for this protection is considerable, since the resident ants subject the tree to increased leaf cutting.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Duroia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
