In an ordinary garden located in the town of Kinver， Worcestershire， England， a retired couple has achieved a botanical miracle. Pamela and Alistair Thompson have successfully cultivated a “dinosaur tree” (Wollemia nobilis) that has produced its first cones this year. This is not only a landmark event outside of Australia， but it is even more remarkable that the same tree bears both male and female cones simultaneously.
The couple acquired this sapling， then standing at a modest 64 centimeters， from a friend in 2010 for $94. Over a decade later， this once small tree has transformed into a magnificent specimen standing nearly 4 meters tall， and in April of this year， it bloomed with life’s wonders.
This rare species， known as the “dinosaur tree” and scientifically named Wollemia nobilis， is one of the oldest tree species on Earth. Its lineage traces back over 90 million years to the Cretaceous period， when it served as a food source for dinosaurs.
Incredibly， this ancient plant， a contemporary of dinosaurs， was believed to have gone extinct around 65 million years ago. It was only rediscovered in 1994 in a remote canyon within Australia’s Wollemi National Park. Currently， fewer than one hundred specimens exist in the wild， and the devastating Australian bushfires in 2020 significantly reduced their numbers， leading to its classification as a critically endangered species.
Pamela discovered that the dinosaur tree has produced five large cones， with each cone yielding approximately 100 seeds. At the current market price of $13 per seed， the total value of these seeds exceeds $6，716 (approximately 48，000 RMB). Initial projections suggest that this remarkable tree will continue to produce fruit in the coming years， potentially generating tens of thousands of dollars in economic returns for the couple. Alistair humorously remarked， “This truly proves that ‘money can grow on trees’!”
