Scientists clone rare Queen of Sheba Orchid, growing 1,000 plants in five years

How cloning one seed of the Queen of Sheba orchid changed its fate Science and innovation can do wonders that are even beyond the cource of nature. The future of an entire species sometimes depends on something so small it’s almost invisible. Wondering what and how? Well, conservation scientists in a Kings Park (Western Australia) laboratory took one single microscopic seed from one of the world's rarest orchids and attempted the impossible. According to the latest report by ABC News, five years later, that little seed has grown into over 1,000 healthy plants. Now, the first cloned orchid has bloomed for the first time. The breakthrough offers new hope for the critically endangered Queen of Sheba orchid, a spectacular wildflower teetering on the brink of extinction for decades.A flower at the edgeOne of Western Australia’s most iconic native plants is the Queen of Sheba orchid, but it is also one of the rarest. Fewer than 30 plants remain in the wild, growing along a narrow stretch of coast between Perth and Bunbury in the state’s southwest. The situation is so desperate that all known wild plants are protected by fencing and are under continuous CCTV surveillance to prevent damage...