Hi. Aarish here again. Today we will be learning about a rare plant.
One of the rarest plants in the world is the Encephalartos Woodii which is now conserved and restricted to the botanical garden only where it was transported from Zululand. This plant is found in South Africa and is considered being extinct in the wild with all specimens being clones of the type.
Encephalartos woodii, Wood's cycad, is a rare cycad in the genus Encephalartos, and is endemic to the oNgoye Forest of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is one of the rarest plants in the world, being extinct in the wild with all specimens being clones of the type. The specific and common name both honour John Medley Wood, curator of the Durban Botanic Garden and director of the Natal Government Herbarium of South Africa, who discovered the plant in 1895.
It is palm tree like, and can reach a height of 6 metres (20 ft). The trunk is about 30–50 centimetres (12–20 in) in diameter, thickest at the bottom, and topped by a crown of 50–150 leaves. The leaves are glossy and dark green, 150–250 centimetres (59–98 in) in length, and keeled with 70–150 leaflets, the leaflets falcate (sickle-shaped), 13–15 centimetres (5–6 in) long and 20–30 millimetres (0.8–1 in) broad.
Wood Cycad (clones of E.woodii)
A basal offset of the main stems was removed and sent to Kew Gardens in 1899. Three basal offsets were collected by Wood's deputy, James Wylie, in 1903 and planted in the Durban Botanic Gardens. One specimen was received at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland in Glasnevin in 1905 where the register records it as "Encephalartos way of E. Alten[steinii]" costing 1 guinea from Sander & Sons. In a 1907 expedition, Wylie collected two of the larger stems and noted that of the remaining two, one of them (the largest of the four original stems) was badly mutilated and he did not expect it to survive. By 1912 there was only one 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall trunk left in the wild, and in 1916, the Forestry Department arranged to have it removed and sent to the Government Botanist in Pretoria. It is thought that this trunk subsequently died in 1964.
While extinct in the wild, Encephalartos woodii specimens are found in many botanical gardens, institutions and collections around the world, with an estimated 500 individuals in existence, all clones of the original specimen. For an Encephalartos cycad, E. woodii is relatively fast-growing and vigorous in cultivation.
Two of the larger trunks that Wylie collected in the 1907 expedition are still to be seen in the Durban Botanic Gardens. A sucker from one of the Durban Botanic Gardens plants was sent to Kirstenbosch near Cape Town, South Africa in 1916 by James Wylie. The plant that was sent to Kew Gardens in 1899 was grown in the Palm House until April 1997 and then moved to the Temperate House where it produced, for the first time, a male cone in September 2004. Other European specimens include one housed at Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and one in Orto Botanico di Napoli in Italy, although this specimen may have died. The specimen in Ireland at Glasnevin is said to be "probably the tallest" specimen of E. woodii in Europe. In the United States, a specimen is housed in the conservatory at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and three specimens are to be seen at Lotusland in Santa Barbara, California where they were planted in 1979. The specimen at Longwood Gardens was received in 1969 after a request was made to the Durban Botanic Gardens by one of Longwood's former directors, Dr. Russell Seibert, when he went on a plant exploration voyage to South Africa in the 1960s. The rooted plant was first taken to the Research Department at Longwood where the gardeners nurtured the plant until it was ready to be displayed in the Conservatory. The Longwood specimen produces cones in early winter.
Despite numerous excursions in the oNgoye-Mtunzini area, no other specimens of Encephalartos woodii have ever been found. All known specimens of Encephalartos woodii are clones of the only known male plant which was completely removed from the wild. For these reasons, the plant is considered extinct in the wild.
Various governments, companies, collaboration with other companies, governments and more are taking actions to find any clues to raise these rare spicies of plants again in the wild.
Any ideas on this? Some answers you have or ideas you may have to help to raise these plants again? Please tell 👇 below 👇
Any cool facts about nature that you can remember? Please tell 👇 below 👇
Any ideas on how we can reach over 50 members and more in this club? Please tell 👇 below 👇
Any ideas on how we can contribute to save our Nature Earth? Any problems you want to raise? You are free to tell here in this club
Hi. Aarish here again. Today we will be learning about a rare plant.
One of the rarest plants in the world is the Encephalartos Woodii which is now conserved and restricted to the botanical garden only where it was transported from Zululand. This plant is found in South Africa and is considered being extinct in the wild with all specimens being clones of the type.
Encephalartos woodii, Wood's cycad, is a rare cycad in the genus Encephalartos, and is endemic to the oNgoye Forest of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is one of the rarest plants in the world, being extinct in the wild with all specimens being clones of the type. The specific and common name both honour John Medley Wood, curator of the Durban Botanic Garden and director of the Natal Government Herbarium of South Africa, who discovered the plant in 1895.
It is palm tree like, and can reach a height of 6 metres (20 ft). The trunk is about 30–50 centimetres (12–20 in) in diameter, thickest at the bottom, and topped by a crown of 50–150 leaves. The leaves are glossy and dark green, 150–250 centimetres (59–98 in) in length, and keeled with 70–150 leaflets, the leaflets falcate (sickle-shaped), 13–15 centimetres (5–6 in) long and 20–30 millimetres (0.8–1 in) broad.
Wood Cycad (clones of E.woodii)
A basal offset of the main stems was removed and sent to Kew Gardens in 1899. Three basal offsets were collected by Wood's deputy, James Wylie, in 1903 and planted in the Durban Botanic Gardens. One specimen was received at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland in Glasnevin in 1905 where the register records it as "Encephalartos way of E. Alten[steinii]" costing 1 guinea from Sander & Sons. In a 1907 expedition, Wylie collected two of the larger stems and noted that of the remaining two, one of them (the largest of the four original stems) was badly mutilated and he did not expect it to survive. By 1912 there was only one 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall trunk left in the wild, and in 1916, the Forestry Department arranged to have it removed and sent to the Government Botanist in Pretoria. It is thought that this trunk subsequently died in 1964.
While extinct in the wild, Encephalartos woodii specimens are found in many botanical gardens, institutions and collections around the world, with an estimated 500 individuals in existence, all clones of the original specimen. For an Encephalartos cycad, E. woodii is relatively fast-growing and vigorous in cultivation.
Two of the larger trunks that Wylie collected in the 1907 expedition are still to be seen in the Durban Botanic Gardens. A sucker from one of the Durban Botanic Gardens plants was sent to Kirstenbosch near Cape Town, South Africa in 1916 by James Wylie. The plant that was sent to Kew Gardens in 1899 was grown in the Palm House until April 1997 and then moved to the Temperate House where it produced, for the first time, a male cone in September 2004. Other European specimens include one housed at Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and one in Orto Botanico di Napoli in Italy, although this specimen may have died. The specimen in Ireland at Glasnevin is said to be "probably the tallest" specimen of E. woodii in Europe. In the United States, a specimen is housed in the conservatory at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and three specimens are to be seen at Lotusland in Santa Barbara, California where they were planted in 1979. The specimen at Longwood Gardens was received in 1969 after a request was made to the Durban Botanic Gardens by one of Longwood's former directors, Dr. Russell Seibert, when he went on a plant exploration voyage to South Africa in the 1960s. The rooted plant was first taken to the Research Department at Longwood where the gardeners nurtured the plant until it was ready to be displayed in the Conservatory. The Longwood specimen produces cones in early winter.
Despite numerous excursions in the oNgoye-Mtunzini area, no other specimens of Encephalartos woodii have ever been found. All known specimens of Encephalartos woodii are clones of the only known male plant which was completely removed from the wild. For these reasons, the plant is considered extinct in the wild.
Various governments, companies, collaboration with other companies, governments and more are taking actions to find any clues to raise these rare spicies of plants again in the wild.
Any ideas on this? Some answers you have or ideas you may have to help to raise these plants again? Please tell 👇 below 👇
Any cool facts about nature that you can remember? Please tell 👇 below 👇
Any ideas on how we can reach over 50 members and more in this club? Please tell 👇 below 👇
Any ideas on how we can contribute to save our Nature Earth? Any problems you want to raise? You are free to tell here in this club
Until next time
Have a great day 😊