In 1895, British botanist John Medley Wood was exploring the Ngoya Forest on the coast of South Africa when he came across an ancient-looking tree. Although he didn't know it at the time, this particular cycad (now called Encephalartos woodii in his honor) was the only specimen left in existence. Some 250 million years ago, at the dawn of the Triassic, cycads — including Encephalartos woodii — dominated the globe. This particular species survived the explosive asteroid impact that likely snuffed out land-based dinosaurs, and a half-dozen or so ice ages, until only one solitary male specimen was left. That specimen is believed to have died in 1964, although basal offsets of the stem (essentially clones of the original cycad) can be found in botanical gardens around the globe. Alas, Encephalartos woodii needs a female in order to produce naturally, and several expeditions to find a plant partner have failed. Scientists are now trying to create a close approximation of a female woodii by mating the plant with a close cycad cousin (Encephalartos natalensis). With a little bit of luck, maybe one day the world's loneliest tree will find love again. | 
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