The loneliest plant in the world

[NomoneyNohoney]

http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/20 ... -the-world

[UncleEbenezer]

http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2011/05/10/136029423/the-loneliest-plant-in-the-world

As so often, a story anticipated in imaginative literature. The Ents, without the Entwives.

[NomoneyNohoney]

I think you'll find this plant predates JRR's story

[bungeejumper]

Wasn't there an Acacia tree somewhere in the Sahara desert that had the dubious distinction of being the furthest tree in the world from any other tree? (250 miles in any direction.) A lone survivor from the days when the Sahara was still a luxuriant jungle. My god, that tree probably hadn't had sex for two thousand years. But had served as a faithful landmark for camel trains (and military campaigns too) throughout the whole time.

Note the past tense. In 1973, according to the Guinness Book, a bunch of Belgians turned up in a truck and collided with it, and that was the end of the legacy. Anyone who's ever driven in Belgium won't be surprised by that. Although the Smithsonian said it was a Libyan. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-new ... r-5369329/. Take your pick.

BJ

[XFool]

Wasn't there an Acacia tree somewhere in the Sahara desert that had the dubious distinction of being the furthest tree in the world from any other tree? (250 miles in any direction.) A lone survivor from the days when the Sahara was still a luxuriant jungle. My god, that tree probably hadn't had sex for two thousand years. But had served as a faithful landmark for camel trains (and military campaigns too) throughout the whole time.

Note the past tense. In 1973, according to the Guinness Book, a bunch of Belgians turned up in a truck and collided with it, and that was the end of the legacy.

So can we presume they hadn't really committed to: "Plant a tree in '73!"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_A_Tree_In_%2773