Bastard gumwood

In December 2009, Lourens Malan, a horticulturist working for the island's conservation department under the Critical Species Recovery Project, discovered a wild tree growing on a cliff. A local team of botanists, conservationists and volunteers commenced an intensive programme of hand pollination and seed collection of the remaining cultivated tree, while protecting it from insects that may cross-pollinate with nearby false gumwoods. Successful fertilisation will occur only if any grains of pollen happen to have mutations that will suppress the tree's mechanisms for preventing self-pollination.

The Bastard Gumwood (Commidendrum rotundifolium) is a species of tree endemic to the island of Saint Helena. It was thought to be extinct, but one last tree was discovered in Horse Pasture in 1982. This tree, long believed to be the last, was destroyed in 1986 by a gale. In January 2010 it was reported that there is one bastard gumwood still alive. More

Bastard Gumwood in special enclosure. Related Information Sponsor a Tree at the Millennium Forest Whether you want to give a memorable gift to a loved one, or offset your carbon emissions, a globally unique Gumwood tree is ideal. More