The most lonely minnows in the world

The only individual left on Earth since dinosaurs, minnows in Durban Botanical Garden in South Africa have been dubbed the world's most lonely tree.

According to the Mother Nature Network, the male nectar in Durban Botanical Garden is cloned from the world's rarest and most exclusive plant based on a discovered specimen in 1895 and no other female plants exist. reproduction

The minnows with the scientific name Encephalartos woodii are ancient plants, once grown to the largest number on Earth. Minor forests once covered the earth, providing food and shade for dinosaurs. Whether it looks like a palm tree or a big fern, minnows are just a distant relative.

Lonely minnows at Durban Botanical Garden.South Africa.(Photo: Wikimedia Commons).

Not only experiencing 5 major extinctions, minnows also have to compete with modern plants. The nemesis E. woodii found in 1895 is the only remnant of this plant.

The main problem is that E. woodii is nearly extinct because it belongs to a different group of plants and needs heterosexual plants to reproduce. Many species include male and female parts on the same body, but E. woodii is different. The specimen of 1895 was male. Although scientists and explorers make every effort, they cannot find the corresponding female tree.

Although plants cannot reproduce without a paired individual, it is still capable of cloning. Some clones from the original E. woodii tree are growing green in botanical gardens around the world. They have large cone-shaped fruits and are full of pollen, but do not give seeds.

"It is clear that this is the world's most lonely plant . It is old and alone and does not have a seedling. No one knows how long it will live," said biologist Richard Fortey.