Woodland seed-dispersing ants
Aphaenogaster spp.
Other
The workhorses of myrmecochory in eastern deciduous woodland. Many spring wildflowers attach a fatty appendage called an elaiosome to each seed; these ants carry the seed back to the nest, feed the appendage to their larvae, and discard the seed itself intact in a nutrient-rich chamber. The plant gets its seed buried, moved away from the parent, and out of reach of rodents.
Plants in the catalog
Specialist host plants · 3
An elaiosome-bearing seed dispersed by woodland ants (myrmecochory), which is how the plant spreads short distances through the forest floor.
An elaiosome-bearing seed dispersed by woodland ants (myrmecochory), which is how the plant spreads short distances through the forest floor.
Wild ginger seed carries an elaiosome; ants carry it to the nest, eat the appendage and discard the seed intact underground, which buries it away from the parent plant and out of reach of rodents.
Range
Deciduous woodland across eastern North America. This is a genus-level group entry: the eastern seed-dispersing species are the Aphaenogaster rudis complex, including A. rudis, A. picea, and A. fulva, which are difficult to separate in the field and are treated together here. Each image names the species shown.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
Use this citation for the Plotwright wildlife page. The source cards below show the upstream references behind the taxonomy, range, conservation, host, forage, and habitat claims.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Woodland seed-dispersing ants (Aphaenogaster spp.). Retrieved 2026, July 31, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/woodland-seed-dispersing-ants
Sources for wildlife facts
9 cited fact fields are backed by the source cards below.
GBIF: Aphaenogaster
GBIF backbone key 1315863 is the accepted genus record for Aphaenogaster in family Formicidae.
Backs 2 fields
Taxonomy
Range
iNaturalist: Aphaenogaster
iNaturalist taxon 68931 is the active genus record; the three images on this page are research-grade eastern North American observations of A. fulva, A. picea, and A. rudis, used under their per-photo CC BY and CC0 licences.
Backs 2 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Wikipedia: Myrmecochory
Reference for the elaiosome mechanism and the role of Aphaenogaster as the principal disperser in eastern North American woodland.
Backs 2 fields
Foraging
Host plants
Wikipedia: Aphaenogaster
Genus-level reference for the rudis complex and its seed-dispersal behaviour. The per-species Aphaenogaster rudis article does not exist on Wikipedia, so the genus article is cited instead.
Backs 3 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Foraging