Meet the 'Loneliest Man' in the World Living at Durban Botanic Gardens
- The Encephalartos woodii cycad at the Durban Botanic Gardens is considered the rarest plant on Earth, extinct in the wild with no female counterpart anywhere on the planet
- The tree was discovered in 1895 in a KwaZulu-Natal forest by botanist John Medley Wood, but only the male was removed, leaving its species with no way to reproduce naturally
- A video by botanist Dr Cassandra Quave revealing the tree's story went viral, with its clones valued at R4.5 million each and guarded by armed security
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Source: Instagram
A single tree growing in the Durban Botanic Gardens carries one of the most heartbreaking stories in the plant kingdom. It is the last of its kind. There is no female anywhere in the world for it to reproduce with, and the forest where it was found no longer exists in its original form.
The plant is known as Encephalartos woodii, commonly called Wood's cycad. It was discovered in 1895 by John Medley Wood, then curator of the Durban Botanic Garden, during an expedition to the oNgoye Forest in what is now KwaZulu-Natal. Wood found the plant unusual and had it brought to the gardens. The critical problem: only the male plant was ever collected. No female was ever found, and the original forest site has since been severely degraded.
The rarest plant on Earth
Because Encephalartos woodii is dioecious, meaning it requires both male and female plants to reproduce, and because no female has ever been documented, the species cannot produce a viable seed. Every specimen in existence today is a clone of the original male plant discovered by Wood. According to the IUCN, the species is classified as extinct in the wild.
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Botanist and author Dr Cassandra Quave, who runs the Instagram account @quaveethnobot, recently visited the Durban Botanic Gardens and shared a video walking viewers through the tree's extraordinary story. The clip quickly gained traction for how much meaning it packed into a few minutes.
Armed guards and R4.5 Million clones
The cycad at the gardens is not just scientifically significant. It is also extraordinarily valuable. Dr Quave noted in her video that a single centimetre of the plant fetches around $50 on the international market. The shortest clone on the property is priced at R4.5 million. Because of this, the tree is monitored by surveillance cameras around the clock, and an armed guard is stationed nearby at night.
Three clones of the original tree are also on display at the same location, each propagated from offshoots of the original specimen. Clones of Encephalartos woodii can be found in botanical institutions across the world, from Kew Gardens in London to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, with an estimated 500 individuals in existence globally.
Watch Dr Quave's walkthrough of the world's loneliest tree at the Durban Botanic Gardens below:
What viewers said
The video drew strong reactions from people around the world:
@mattolifranco wrote:
"So we can only see this tree today because some guy was like, 'hum interesting tree might as well get it home.'"
@jedidiah_botes said:
"This man deserves more flowers than people think! He makes the whole experience of the botanical garden in Durban worth it!"
@iangustasaurus commented:
"I think there needs to be a giant ecological scavenger hunt. Gotta be one female out there somewhere."
@marine_meme_shitposting laughed:
"A botanist named Wood? Superb case of nominative determinism right there."
@no_one_blanks022345 reacted:
"4.5 million what???"
@daimienm wrote:
"Scientists gotta be able to figure this one out. I mean, we gene-edit kids, make this tree a woman lmao."
@kandice_maphumulo_ teased:
"It's so funny cause I know exactly where another one can be found."
Source: Getty Images
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Source: Briefly News
