Wood's Cycad

Taxonomy
Scientific Name
Encephalartos woodii Sander
Higher Classification
Gymnosperms
Family
ZAMIACEAE
Common Names
Broodboom (a), Cycad (e), Wood's Cycad (e), Wood-se-broodboom (a)
National Status
Status and Criteria
Extinct in the Wild
Assessment Date
2020/05/20
Assessor(s)
J.S. Donaldson
Justification
The species was described from a single individual comprising several stems. No other plants were ever found. Some of the original stems were killed through bark harvesting and the last wild plants had been transferred to botanic gardens by 1916. The species has therefore been Extinct in the Wild for more than a century and no wild plants have been found in that time despite several expeditions to locate additional plants.
Distribution
Endemism
South African endemic
Provincial distribution
KwaZulu-Natal
Range
It used to occur in Ngoye Forest, northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Habitat and Ecology
Major system
Terrestrial
Major habitats
Forest
Description
Forest.
Threats
Extinct in the wild due to harvesting of bark for medicinal use. The last remaining stems were all deliberately removed from the wild in 1916.
Population

Last seen in the wild in 1916. This species is extinct in the wild.


Assessment History
Taxon assessed
Status and Criteria
Citation/Red List version
Encephalartos woodii SanderExtinct in the Wild Raimondo et al. (2009)
Encephalartos woodii SanderExtinct in the Wild Scott-Shaw (1999)
Encephalartos woodii SanderExtinct Hilton-Taylor (1996)
Encephalartos woodii SanderExtinct Hall et al. (1980)
Bibliography

Boon, R. 2010. Pooley's Trees of eastern South Africa. Flora and Fauna Publications Trust, Durban.


Donaldson, J.S. 2003. Cycads. Status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN/SSC Cycad Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland; Cambridge, UK.


Hall, A.V., De Winter, M., De Winter, B. and Van Oosterhout, S.A.M. 1980. Threatened plants of southern Africa. South African National Scienctific Programmes Report 45. CSIR, Pretoria.


Hilton-Taylor, C. 1996. Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4. South African National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.


Osborne, R. 1986. Focus on Encephalartos woodii. Encephalartos 5:4-10.


Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.


Scott-Shaw, C.R. 1999. Rare and threatened plants of KwaZulu-Natal and neighbouring regions. KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service, Pietermaritzburg.


Citation
Donaldson, J.S. 2020. Encephalartos woodii Sander. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/13

Comment on this assessment Comment on this assessment
Distribution map

© J.S. Donaldson


Search for images of Encephalartos woodii on iNaturalist