Extinct in the wild: Encephalartos woodii

Meet one of the world's loneliest plants - the Encephalartos woodii. It has a crown of bright green leaves, an intricately patterned trunk and orange cones. It is an attractive plant with a fascinating back story. In 1895, John Medley Wood found this plant in Ngoye Forest in South Africa. He transported it to our Gardens for some tender loving care, and we first housed it in the Palm House in 1899. Since then, it has moved to the Temperate House, and our teams were thrilled when it coned for the first time in 2004.