Crown Jewel: Encephalartos woodii

Encephalartos woodii Sander
Family: Zamiaceae 

Encephalartos woodii belongs to the cycad family. These plant species evolved approximately 240 million years ago in the early days of the dinosaurs. They are the ancestors of the flowering plants. Like all other cycads, Encephalartos woodii are dioecious. That means that there are male and female plants. In 1895, Medley Wood collected a male specimen of Encephalartos woodii from a steep mountainside in Natal, South Africa. Since female plants have never been collected, they are thought to be extinct.

To date, Wood's male specimen is the only representative of the species ever found. It may even be the only specimen left. Luckily, the plant regularly forms side-shoots at the base of the stem that are cut off and cultivated into separate plants. By sending these plants/stems to other botanical gardens worldwide, the risk of extinction is lowered and the male Encephalartos woodii can exist without female species members. This is the Hortus' way of supporting the survival of this unique plant species.

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