It is the story of a plant that long, long ago once ruled the world.

這篇故事所談的植物，在很久很久以前統治過世界

A plant that, today, is the very last of its kind.

如今，這樣的植物只剩下最後一株

It's this plant, behind me, Encephalartos woodii.

就是在我身後的這一株植物，伍德蘇鐵

E. Woodii for short,

簡稱它為蘇鐵

and I've been looking after it for over 20 years.

而我已經照料它超過了二十年

It was named for British botanist, John Medley Wood, who in 1895 discovered it growing on a hillside on the coast of South Africa.

它以英國植物學家約翰．梅德利．伍德命名，他於西元 1895 年發現它，生長在南非海岸上的一座山丘上

A strange, handsome plant caught his eye, and he carefully removed a small portion of it,

一株奇特又漂亮的植物吸引了他的注意，他隨即小心翼翼地移植了一小部分

and had it shipped all the way to London, to here, Kew Gardens, where it's been for the last 117 years.

並將其一路運送到倫敦，也就是到這裡──邱園──它在這裡一待就是 117 年

But its history goes much, much further back.

然而它的歷史可以追溯到更加久遠以前

You see, Encephalartos woodii, is what is known as a cycad,

要知道，伍德蘇鐵以蘇鐵屬植物為人所知

and cycads have been around for 300 million years.

而蘇鐵屬植物已經存在了三億年之久

As the millennium rolled on, cycads flourished, providing shade for triceratops, a perch for pterodactyls, and a tasty snack for brontosauruses.

隨著千年的時間過去，蘇鐵屬植物蓬勃生長、提供遮陰給三角龍、讓翼手龍有棲身之地，並成為雷龍美味的點心

At one point during the Jurassic, cycads made up 20% of all the plants on Earth, and covered every corner of the globe.

蘇鐵屬植物在侏羅紀時期，曾一度佔了全球所有植物的百分之二十，且在全球四處可見

But the good times couldn't last forever.

但美好的時光無法永遠持續

The dinosaurs went extinct.

恐龍絕種了

Ice ages came and went.

冰河時期來了又去

New modern plants, like conifers and fruit trees started pushing cycads out.

新時代的植物像是針葉樹和果樹開始取代蘇鐵屬植物

And the once proud population of E. Woodiis were reduced, and reduced, and reduced

而伍德蘇鐵曾經蓬勃的數量減少了，並且越來越少

until there was possibly only one left.

直到很可能剩下僅存的一株

One single solitary E. Woodii growing quietly on the hillside,

一株孤單的蘇鐵悄悄地在山丘上生長著

which brings us right back to John Medley Wood.

這直接讓我們回到約翰．梅德利．伍德身上

At the time, he had no way of knowing just how rare his discovery was;

在當時，他完全不曉得他的發現有多麼稀有；

but expedition after expedition in search of more E. Woodii have proved fruitless.

然而為了找尋更多蘇鐵的一次又一次遠征皆被證實未果

You see, cycads are dioecious, meaning, you need separate male and female plants to create a new one,

要知道，蘇鐵屬植物是雌雄異株的，意思是你需要雌性和雄性各一株才能產生新的一株

and this one happens to be a male, a true lonely bachelor.

而在邱園裡的這株恰巧是雄株，成了名副其實的孤獨單身漢

If a female mate cannot be found, it really will be the last of its kind.

如果一直沒替它找到女伴，它真的會成為其物種的最後一株

To this day, researchers are still looking.

至今，研究員還在找尋著

After all, it's a big world, there might just be a chance.

畢竟世界這麼大，也許還有機會

In the meantime, it'll have me to keep him company.

與此同時，它有我來陪它作伴