Supay Chagra: A Spirit Garden

After walking through dense forest for hours it can be an It can be an erie experience to suddenly come upon a natural clearing filled with Clidemia heterophylla.   For this reason the clearings are called supai chagra. which means “devil’s garden” or “spirit garden.”  Something about the plant clears rival vegetation away allowing the plant to fill an area.  Clidemia heterophylla has ant domatia.   Duroria hirsuita, a tree in the Rubiaceae family that clears rival plants from around its base also has ant domatia. It is possible that the ants affect rival vegetation adversely.