Ten Extremely Rare Seeds on the Brink of Extinction
The Millennium Seed Bank has set out to collect 25 percent of the world's plant species by 2020—before it is too late
- By Megan Gambino
- Smithsonian.com, May 14, 2012
(Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)
Name: Mulanje Cedar (Widdringtonia whytei)
Status: At the brink of extinction, this species of cypress is confined to Mount Mulanje, a 9,852-foot-tall massif in southern Malawi, where only a small stand of the trees survives.
Threats: Mulanje Cedars are known for their sweet- smelling and, more important , termite-resistant timber, which has been used in the construction of door and window frames, as well as local arts and crafts. In 2007, it became illegal to fell the cedars, which typically grow to a height of about 150 feet at altitudes upwards of 6,500 feet. Yet a black market for the wood persists.
Impact: The decline of the species—Malawi’s national tree—is a tough financial blow to Malawi, one of the world’s least-developed countries.
Learn more about Mulanje Cedars at the Encyclopedia of Life.
Comments (2)
we have some in the woods but we are not allowed to touch them
Posted by corbin geyer on September 7,2012 | 12:08 AM
It is endemic to the Mulanje Massif of Malawi, but yet it is a pioneer species. It can be used for reforesting high elevation forests throughout southern Africa. One of the most endangered forest types in Africa are montane forest. This could be the pioneer species, that can help in assisting in reforestation techniques.
Posted by Tim Upham on August 30,2012 | 04:53 PM