LAHORE, Nov 01 (APP): A 176-year-old Queen Sago Palm, belonging to a prehistoric plant lineage dating back nearly 280 million years, has put out its full crown at Lawrence Garden, highlighting Lahore’s rich botanical heritage and the importance of conserving threatened plant species.
A spokesperson for the Punjab Horticulture Authority (PHA) said the rare tree predated Lawrence Garden, which was established in the 1860s as a botanical garden and recreational space modelled on London’s Kew Gardens.
The Queen Sago Palm belongs to the Cycad family, an ancient group of seed-bearing plants whose fossil record dates back to the Permian period, around 280 million to 300 million years ago. These plants became particularly widespread during the Mesozoic Era, when dinosaurs dominated the Earth, earning the period the distinction of the “Age of Cycads”.
Horticulture experts say plant-eating dinosaurs, including long-necked sauropods, are believed to have fed on Cycad foliage, cones and nutrient-rich seeds.
Known for their exceptionally slow growth and remarkable longevity, Cycads have retained much of their original structure over millions of years and are commonly described as “living fossils”. They can survive in different growing conditions and require around four to five hours of sunlight daily, with relatively little water once established.
Despite their resilience, Cycads are among the world’s most threatened plant groups, with around 60 percent of assessed species facing extinction in their natural habitats, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
The spokesperson said the PHA was not only responsible for maintaining the province’s green cover but also for preserving some of the world’s oldest prehistoric trees. He said the presence of a prehistoric Sago Palm belonging to a threatened plant group made Lawrence Garden’s collection particularly significant.
He added that Lawrence Garden was considered one of Asia’s largest botanical gardens, housing around 150 varieties of trees, including 30 species of palms.
The garden’s botanical collection also included trees and plants introduced by the British from different parts of the Indian Empire, Austria, Palestine, Syria and other European regions.
Source: APP (Associated Press of Pakistan)
