Kaushik Patowary
Apr 7, 2021
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Lomatia tasmanica, commonly known as King s lomatia or King’s Holly, is an unusual plant. It bears flowers, yet produces neither fruit nor seeds. The King’s holly propagates by dropping a branch, and letting the fallen branch take root and grow into a new plant. Unsurprisingly, all existing members of
Lomatia tasmanica, numbering just 300 plants, are found within a narrow corridor of land just over one kilometer in length. Because the reproduction is vegetative, all the plants in this colony are genetically identical making the entire grove a clone. The plant has been cloning itself for at least 43,600 years, and possibly up to 135,000 years. This makes