Love is the root of sustaining the species of all living beings on Earth. Everyone will find their other half if they desire to love and be loved. But you know, sometimes, desire alone is not enough to obtain what one wants…
The Encephalartos woodii, also known as Wood’s Cycad, is an ancient plant species that once thrived in abundant numbers on our planet. The cycad forests once covered the earth, providing food and shade for dinosaurs. Although it resembles a palm or a large fern, the cycad is only a distant relative of these plants.
Cycad caretakers at the Royal Botanic Gardens on the day they welcomed the lonely cycad.
Having survived five mass extinctions, the Encephalartos woodii also has to compete with modern plant families. The specimen found in 1895 is the only surviving remnant of this species.
The main issue causing the near extinction of E. woodii is that it belongs to a different group of plants and requires a male and female counterpart to reproduce. Many species have both male and female parts on the same plant, but E. woodii is different. The specimen from 1895 is male. Despite the best efforts of scientists and explorers, they have been unable to find a corresponding female plant.
Botanist John Medley Wood was “captivated” by this fascinating plant when he saw it standing tall on a hillside in Zululand, South Africa. Drawn to this rare species, Dr. Wood, who made a living collecting rare plants, took some stem samples and sent them back to London for research.
After being transferred to the Royal Botanic Gardens, this plant has remained “lonely day and night”, waiting for its “dream partner” for over a century. Despite their efforts to find a mate, this plant has remained unable to reproduce. For this reason, many consider it to be the loneliest plant in the world.
The Encephalartos woodii was once the ruler of the world millions of years ago, and today, only one male plant remains at the Royal Botanic Gardens. It is said that our “male” plant is also very “eager” to find love. It even signals its desire by emitting heat or producing scents to attract pollinating insects. However, nature can be cruel…
The lonely cycad in the Royal Botanic Gardens (UK).
Although this species cannot reproduce without a mating counterpart, it still has the ability to clone itself. Some cloned specimens from the original E. woodii are thriving in plant gardens around the world. They boast large, vibrant cones filled with pollen, but do not produce seeds.
Researchers have scoured forests in Africa for many years searching for a female Encephalartos, but to date, their efforts have been unsuccessful. The male plant still sits there, waiting for a love that may never come…
“Clearly, this is the loneliest plant in the world. It ages alone and faces the fate of having no offspring. No one knows how much longer it will survive,” biologist Richard Fortey stated.
“Sky-high prices”
It is worth noting that the cycad is one of the oldest and most endangered groups of plants on Earth.
This status increases their value to collectors globally, making them highly sought after in the illegal cycad trade, a multi-million-pound industry.
Due to their majestic stature, vigorous growth, and long lifespan, cycads generally symbolize rarity, longevity, and prosperity in the plant kingdom. Their striking appearance and ancient lineage make them coveted by wealthy individuals and gardening enthusiasts worldwide.
Cones of the cycad species. (Photo: Royal Botanic Gardens KEW (UK)).
Data from the Royal Botanic Gardens KEW (UK) indicates that in the illegal cycad trade, some rare individual specimens are sold for hundreds of thousands to millions of USD each. This is a considerable amount compared to illegal wildlife products, such as black rhino horns, which sell for over $90,000.
The Conversation (a website that collects scholarly articles from various fields worldwide) reports that rare cycads can fetch a staggering price of $620 for every centimeter of the plant’s length.
Among all rare cycad species, the original Encephalartos woodii is the most valuable. Thus, many understand it to be the “King of the Cycads” still living on Earth. Being the only original specimen left on the planet, the Encephalartos woodii in Ngoye is metaphorically said to be something that even a billionaire cannot purchase.
