Oldest Potted Plant's Deep Roots Go Back to 1775 This Eastern
Cape giant cycad was brought to the Kew Botanical Gardens in
1775. CREDIT: RBG Kew The potted Eastern Cape giant cycad that
resides in the U.K.'s Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, has lived
through the French Revolution, the invention of the steam
engine, both World Wars and man's first walk on the moon, which
may have earned it the title of the oldest potted plant in the
world. The Eastern Cape giant cycad (Encephalartos altensteinii)
is unique to South Africa. It is a medium-to-large plant with
stems that extend up to 16 feet (5 meters) long and are usually
14 inches (35 centimeters) in diameter. These plants can survive
long enough to live to 2,500 years of age. Today, they are rare
in the wild and are protected by law . Kew's plant, which was
initially planted at ground level, measures about 14 feet (4.2
m) from the base of its stem to the growing point. This means
that the cycad has grown around 1 inch (2.5 cm) every year since
it was originally p