Searching for cycad Entwives

By Purves, M., CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Laura Cinti, a biological artist, is looking for females for the world’s loneliest plant, a species of cycad. Unlike the Ents and their search for Entwives, however, Cinti and her team have modern technology: drones and machine intelligence.

The only known specimens of Encephalartos woodii (E. woodii), a species of cycad, are all clones of the same male plant found over 100 years ago in a South African forest. Now a team of researchers is on a mission to find an elusive female version of the plant

— The Conversation

If she can find a female, the trees can pollinate and reproduce, which would make the species healthier and less prone to disease. Also maybe a bit less sad. Listen to The Conversation podcast for more.